Anthem for the Broken
by animedrawngirl
Summary: If you asked Law what he wanted in life just a few weeks ago, he would have gushed about following in his father's footsteps and becoming a doctor. His tiny eyes would glitter as he ambitiously stated how he'd find a cure for his sister and live happily with his family. Now, however, all he wants is his freedom and a chance at a happy life. But will he get that when his every mov
1. Flames

Life at home was normal. Wake up, eat breakfast, say goodbye to his mother, father, and sister, then leave for school. Law would happily skip down the street with a group of boys from the same class as him. They would play on the grounds and through class much to the teacher's annoyance. A happy smile constantly covered his face throughout the day. As soon as the bell dismissed the restless kids, Trafalgar would rush home and greet his family with stories of his day. While his mother fixed diner for the family, Law would perch himself on a cushioned chair next to his sister's bed. Tiny arms flung wildly in the air as he told her of the world outside and what he had learned in school that day. Lami would sit on her bed and watch the antics with glittering eyes. Their mother would come in afterwards with plates for all of them so they could eat together as a family. Their father would talk about his day and quiz both children on medical knowledge before it was time to go to sleep. Some nights, Law would sneak into Lami's room to keep his sick sister company in the lonely hours.

It was a simple life, but it was a happy one. Even at a young age, Law knew what he wanted to do in life. His goal was to become a great doctor just like his dad and work together to cure his sister of her mystery illness. Tiny hands wrapped around his sleeping sister as he thought about it. He held her close to him as if to protect her from the disease. All she had to do was stay alive and happy until then. "I promise." He whispered to the top of her head as they laid cuddling in the dark night. No one would bare witness to his promise, but he knew he'd keep it either way.

"There you are!" Law's mother exclaimed as she walked into Lami's room the next morning. "You're going to be late if you don't get up soon." She smiled at the children who were sleepily rubbing at their eyes. "Run and get changed then you can eat with us." His mother said as she set down a few plates onto a table in the center of the room. With that, the tiny kid shifted out of the large pink bed and down the hall.

No more than five minutes went by before a dressed and groomed Law walked through the doorway. The rest of the family had all sat down in their places around Lami's bedside with their plates as they talked. Their father motioned Law to take up the seat next to him. "I have a proposition for you!" He smiled like a toddler who had a secret to share. "Remember that coin collection we started together?"

Law nodded as he situated his tray and grasped at his juice.

"There's a grand celebration tomorrow. It's the town's 100th birthday and they're releasing a new coin at the festival!" Law's face lit up. It had been a while since they last added a coin to their book.

"Can we get it, dad?" He shouted through a mouth of half chewed food.

"Only if both you kids promise to attend the festival with your mom and me!" The older man's face wore a soft and gentle smile on it. Immediately Lami squeaked and bounced in her bed.

"Can I come? Really?" Her eyes grew twice their size and sparkled as if the night sky inhabited them.

"Of course honey! You've been doing well lately and it's no fun being stuck in your bed all day." Their mother reached over and ruffled the girl's hair as she answered. "Your dad and I finally have some time off to spend with you and we decided this was the perfect outing. Not only can we get a coin for these two," She waved a hand towards the two boys who were rambling betwixt one another about their collection, "but we can even look for a new dress for you. I'm sure the stalls will have something cute for winter."

Lami jumped up and down in her bed so much that the plates on their trays started to rattle. Lami didn't calm down until her lungs failed her and she ended up in a coughing fit. Both parents immediately attended to her and gave her a small dose of her medicine.

"Oh Law, what do you think it's going to be like?" Lami asked through labored breathing.

"Hopefully there will be lots of music and fun things to do." Law replied while his mind drifted off.

"You two can dream about the festival later. Law needs to get going now." Their mother gave him a stern but loving smile.

His eyes darted over to the clock on the near by bed stand. The tiny child jumped up in a hurry when he realized he really was running late. The boy stuffed his breakfast down his throat and started running out the door. He then ran back in the door with just as much speed and vigor to give each family member a kiss goodbye. Once again his small legs carried him out the door and down the stairs. Law snatched his hat off the bottom of the banister and scooped up his bag next to the door. Another large smile crossed his face as he sprinted down the street. He could always count on his mom to place his things right where he could grab them on his way out. Granted he never made it easy on her since he'd dump everything as soon as he was home just so he could spend more time with Lami.

Throughout the entire day at school he fidgeted in his chair. His teacher's voice may have well been a fly buzzing in a field far far away from him. He didn't hear her when she reviewed the tests out loud, nor did he hear her call his name multiple times to answer a question. A quick lecture on not paying attention was a small price to pay when it came to thinking about spending a whole day with his family.

Law had decided that if there was music he would dance with his sister. She was too sickly to stand on her own, but he figured he could wheel her around in her chair like she was dancing. Maybe one day when they were older he could holder her up to properly dance with her. Law was certain his sister would enjoy that.

His mind drifted further and further away from the small classroom as tempting illusions of tomorrow clouded his thinking. What would the new coin look like? Would it be silver like all the other coins, or would they tint it gold for such a special occasion? What about the story that would come with the new coin? Law dreamed of his father reading off the history behind the town and what ever image the new coin will bare. That was one of Law's favorite parts about coin collecting. His father always knew the history and fun facts surrounding them.

A soft giggle shook his body as he imagined his mom chastising them for making such a fun event so boring. She didn't collect coins like Law and his father did. She didn't understand how fascinating they were. It was fine though, he knew she was just kidding every time she picked on them about it. His mother would pull them into a hug and ruffle their hair while telling them to enjoy the festival. She was a kind woman who encouraged everyone to live their best life.

After going through a few hundred different scenarios, the iron bells of the school house rung out. The children rushed out the door and down the familiar streets. He said his goodbyes as the group of boys he walked with parted and went their separate ways. They had chatted about the celebration on the way home and one boy swore up and down that an infamous group of musical criminals were going to perform. No one believe him of course, not since the town was far from a safe place for any criminals. The army had a large presence in the town, keeping the people safe from harm.

Tiny feet tapped against the pavement as Law rushed home. His pace slowed just two blocks away. Curious eyes watched as firetrucks and police cars whipped past him in a rush to get somewhere. Maybe going home could wait. He was going to follow them and tell Lami about whatever was causing all this excitement. The small child followed the cars with a different kind of excitement. For now he was still on the same path home as normal. If it was close by he could sneak a peak and be home before his mother noticed he was late. It was the perfect crime.

Law watched as a police car turned down his street. Lights covered the surrounding area in blue and red. Suddenly it wasn't as exciting. The small boy could feel his heart jump into his throat as he ran harder and faster than ever before. It was just a coincidence, right? The old lady across the street must have croaked. Yeah, that's all there was to it. That's why so many emergency vehicles were there. Even while thinking this. Law continued to run at full blast.

His face reddened and eyes dropped as he turned the corner. Only then did he notice the smoke billowing up into the sky. The tall trees along the route had hidden it away from view up until then. Tears prickled up on the sides of his eyes. Tiny feet pounded against the sidewalk as he raced faster and faster still up to his house. The boy ducked under the police tape and past a few surprised men. He stopped short halfway up the drive way. His house was no longer there. It had burned down. All that remained was ashes and a few damaged support beams.

He whipped his head back and forth trying to make sense of the situation and trying to find his family. "L-Lami!?" He shouted through tears. "LAMI!" He screeched again. Water gushed down his face and his entire body shook. "Mamma!?" Without knowing it, Law was taking a few steps back trying to distance himself from the site. "...daddy?" His voice faltered and the word was barely that of a whisper.

A few men in uniform tried to calm him down and talk to him, but Law was too shaken up to hear much. Over the radio hooked on a cop's shoulder, he heard the report come in. There were people found declared dead on site. The tears had clouded his vision after that. The world went dark, cold, and ever so silent. Law crumpled in on himself as he screamed his head off. Somewhere among the nonsensical howling were the names of his family he called out in disbelief.

They were supposed to go to the festival tomorrow. Lami was going to dance with him. His dad was going to get a new coin for their collection. Their mother was going to chastise them while they enjoyed the party.

What had happened to that?

...

Three days had gone by. Law was still a mess. There were dark rings under his eyes from sleepless nights when the terror of reality had forced him awake mid nightmare. His face had gone pale and seemed to be stuck like that. He couldn't fathom that he was really and truly alone.

He had been left mostly alone in a small room in the police office. The small town didn't have any agencies in place to take care of a case such as Law's, so he was the station's problem until someone from a nearby place could take him in. He was fed and treated much like any other person staying in the jail. The only socialization was on the rare occasion that an officer would come in and tell him that the transfer was taking longer than expected, or that the paperwork had to be redone due to some error.

The authorities didn't help him much. They weren't concerned with a small brat when there was so much else going on it seemed. The boy had overheard a lot of what was going down at the station during his stay. Reports of the festival being overtaken by criminals and a riot kept the majority of the police busy.

What really had caught his attention was an outbreak. Day and night reports of people being diagnosed with an odd sickness poured in. Young, old, and everyone in between seemed to be contracting some disease that made them bed ridden. Normally waves of flu and colds were pretty common and kept under control by the hospital, but this one was different. The head doctor was no longer there to control the issue. Outbreaks spread faster than what they were used to. The effects were devastating.

It was late evening on the third day of his stay when he heard it. A report came in to the desk stating the first person to die from this epidemic was an elderly gentleman. He had contracted the disease just a week before. Cases like this were common for a lot of sicknesses, but only a week had killed him. Law had originally chalked it up to the man being ill before hand and this is what got him in the end. He quickly questioned that idea as all through out the night the reports kept coming in. More elderly people from the same care had passed. Towards midnight a blue collar worker had worked himself to death on the job while fighting the sickness. Come 2 am the radio flooded with reports of otherwise healthy individuals dying after less than a week of being diagnosed.

Law sat back on his bed and listened through the door as the desk worker was overwhelmed. He had a small note pad and pen one of the officers had given him and was writing down the reports. The death rate was rather high and from what little he heard of the symptoms it wasn't a run of the mill disease. He cracked his door wider and watched the officer take down more reports.

Another call rattled the phone. This time, he couldn't hear the report. Music sounded from further down the jail. Law was suddenly so mad at the interruption that he threw his note pad down on the ground. Who the hell sings at 4 in the morning!? The boy sat up, watched the night guard pay no attention to the boy or anything behind him, then sneaked out of his room. Unlike the other residents, Law wasn't confined to his room, but the cops didn't seem to want him wandering around unsupervised.

After a quick, angry walk down the hall he came upon the newly occupied cell. It was full of the unruly criminals from the festival. They were all disheveled and singing loudly in a happy tune. Had it not been for interrupting an important report, Law would have probably enjoyed the shanty.

The boy slammed his tiny hands against the bars to get their attention. The shanty died out and what seemed to be a leader of the rag-tag group of singers looked his way. The man stood up, afro almost touching the cement ceiling, before giving an odd laugh and bowing a bit to talk to the angry boy. "Ah, I'm sorry. Did we wake you up?" He had an oddly laid back expression for someone who was being kept against their will.

"No. Your music was too loud. I can't hear the reports." Law said as he stood up as tall as he could. He, however, only came up to the other man's kneecap. This didn't keep him from trying to sound stern while lecturing the criminals.

"You mean those dreadful calls they've been getting all night?" The man looked surprised. "They're so sorrowful. We figured it was best to bring some happiness out by singing."

"That's what the Rumbar Group does best!" One of the other men shouted from the cell.

"Happiness isn't going to come any time soon." Law muttered more to himself than to the criminals. "I need you to be quiet. I can't hear the death rates if you're so loud."

"You WANT to hear that!?" The leader asked in an astonished tone. "What ever does a child like you want with that? You're supposed to be enjoying youth with friends and family."

"Well, I can't. My family just died." Law admitted through clenched teeth. Up until now, he hadn't said those words out loud. He refused to believe them. But it was true and he had to move on. This epidemic was the only thing keeping him sane. It felt like a puzzle he could work on and solve from his little cement room.

"Oh my, it sounds like you need some happiness." The tall leader bent down until his head rested on his knees. He gave a weird, but almost comforting, smile before reaching through the bars. He extended a hand to shake while continuing to speak. "I'm Brook, second in command of the Rumbar group. If you need anything like a happy song, some friends, or an ear to listen, we'll provide it. Though," the man's voice got higher as he pushed his afro back to reveal his over sized ears, "I guess I'm nothing but ears!" He joked.

Law turned away from the hand and ignored the man all together. Brook gasped out in surprise that he was being ignored. Even his joke didn't get a chuckle. "I don't need that. I need to listen. Maybe..." Law trailed off suddenly realizing the futility of his actions. "maybe I can help?"

"If you think you can, I'm sure you will." A third man came up and rested his elbow on Brook's head while leaning against him. "Think of us as extra support though. You're now an honorary part of our group."

"You can't be that helpful if you're all locked up." Law muttered again more to himself. All the men in the cell gave out a loud surprised noise at this attack. It was true, but this kid didn't need to say it.

"At any rate, you may need to pick the brain of someone who's dealt with an epidemic like this before. An older officer, or a doctor who's seen it all." Brook offered.

"Good luck with that, they're all busier than hell because of that." The first man spoke up while leaning even further against Brook.

"I think my dad worked through an epidemic years ago." Law thought out loud. "He's not here, but maybe one of his medical journals is still around!" The boy's face brightened up at this break through. "I can see what happened then. I bet he would know just what to do!" With that, the little boy turned on his heels and ran back down the long hall.

...

Law shuffled his feet against the cobble stone pathways towards his old house. He had gone to the hospital first thing in the morning and easily got into his dad's old office. The hospital staff was indeed flooded with patients. This left him alone to read through the books and journals his dad had left in the small room. There was nothing helpful though. It was mostly procedure books and the odd college text book. Any hand written journals were cases of people coming in for repeat visits.

The tiny boy ran a hand over the soft fuzzy hat on his head as he sat back. The large leather chair swiveled away from the desk and out the large window behind him. It was still likely a journal with the information he needed existed, the only issue is it would be at the house. After hours of reading and ransacking the office he resided himself to this fact.

Even knowing this though, he wasn't ready to confront the burned remains. The long walk from the hospital to the house just wasn't enough time to prepare himself for it. The burned structure was roped off with police tape. That didn't stop the small boy from ducking under it once again and walking to the mess. It was even worse than he had remembered. The house was mostly burned away with a few walls and burnt items. Hesitant feet walked up the stairs and through a door that hung halfway off its hinges.

The stairs that once stood grand and ever steady were burned and mostly gone. A few warped stairs still existed, but they were unsafe to climb. The entire second floor was ashes with only a few burned parts shaking in the light breeze. His small feet carried him through the living room. The large TV stand and the couch were disfigured masses of what they once were. Law could still see how everything should have looked and was growing more and more distressed by the fire. It was as if someone had taken a lighter to all his memories.

Finally he stopped in front of his dad's study. Judging by the rest of the house, the study wasn't going to look much better. Law shut his eyes tight and remembered times when his dad was hunched over his work. The man could easily get lost in his work until Law came running in. Seeing that room ruined felt like Law would have to give up on his dad forever. He'd have to face his father's death and move on. Shaking hands reached for the knob unsure if he really wanted to do that just for a journal that may or may not exist.

He could save lives though. That was the only thing that made him turn the knob. His parents had taught him that if he could save a life, he should. He pushed the door open and watched a burned study reveal itself. The desk was burned and damaged, but somehow still upright. The carpet was singed. The shelves were burned but the books remained mostly untouched. The man in the room, however, didn't look the same.

"Who!" Law's jaw dropped in surprise. "Who are you!?"


	2. Ashen Research

Light from the afternoon sun filtered through the singed trees that once surrounded the beautiful property. The light and shadows danced along a ten foot tall giant standing in the middle of the burned down study. Law froze in place as he took in the frightful looming figure. He couldn't make out much aside from a large coat puffed up like a crow's chest. The feathers rustled in the slight breeze. Slowly the figure started to turn away from the bookshelves and face the tiny boy.

Blood turned to ice in the child's veins. He wanted to run, to save himself and hide in the concrete room back at the police station, but his legs had turned to stone. All he could do was stare up at the painted face that stared back at him. The tall man wore an angry expression as his eyes narrowed. He was lean, tall, and had a long, thin smile painted in red on his face. Law could feel dread well up inside him at the man's odd appearance. His grey eyes jumped around the man's whole being, trying to take in every detail to retell to the police later. If there was a later, he feared.

A loud slam sounded through the burnt building as the tall figure closed the book in his hands. Law hadn't even noticed before, but it was one of his dad's medical journals. Why was this man here? Why was he disrespecting his dad's study and life work? His tiny hands balled up into fists at his side. He wanted to shout at the stranger who was intruding on such a sacred place. Before he could, the man took two large steps and stopped right in front of the boy. Any and all emotions other than fear flushed out of his body as he stood next to the man. His size was daunting, much like the criminals back at the station, Law was an ant in comparison. He didn't even come up to the other man's knees. His tiny eyes widened in horror. What could such a scary, large man want with him?

The stranger crouched down to what had to be an uncomfortable stance. His knees bent fully trying to frame his body, his face dropping nearly to the same height as Law's own. It was only then, while the two were inches apart, that the kid saw heavy scaring that marked up the man's face. The tips of his lips had been split and torn across his cheeks. A large scar was burned into his skin just under his right eye, thinly masked by purple makeup.

Something clinical overwhelmed the tiny child. He no longer saw a huge stranger, but instead a patient that he needed to unlock the mystery behind. What scaring he could see under the thick red lipstick was old and ridged. What ever happened occurred long ago. Most likely someone with a shaking hand or someone who was untrained tried to leave slow cuts on the man's face. Law could see what appeared to be the residue of stitches from the time. Tiny holes dotted the top and bottom of each scar. The job was far from medical quality. He had seen this poor first aide before from a patient who tried to patch themselves up after a bad work accident.

Law didn't even notice his hand was reaching out towards the scarred cheek in front of him until the man stopped him. A small notebook with a message written on the pages was held up between them. "Scram kid" was scrawled out in messy handwriting on the lined page. Trafalgar read this out loud and looked back at the still angry man in front of him. "I will not!" He spat out in anger. Suddenly he felt braver. "This is my dad's study. I have every right to be here."

"Leave brat. I have work to do." The stranger quickly scrawled out on the page. He tossed the note pad on the ash covered floor near Law's feet as the man drew up to his full height once more. He turned his back to Law and started to rifle through the contents of the bookcases.

Trafalgar felt a painful fire burn in his chest as he struggled to breath. Tears raced down his face as he stared at that stupid note pad. Who did this guy think he was? More importantly what could a small kid like him do to get rid of the man defacing the only thing left of his dad?

He heard a dull thunk sound as a medical book was casually tossed over the man's shoulder. The pages were bent in odd directions as the debris and ash painted the book. "How dare you treat my dad like that!" Law screamed. He meant to say his dad's study. He really did. But this place was the very epitome of his father. Absorbed in his work yet always a beacon for Law and Lami. He had so many memories of his dad pouring over books and paperwork in his room. All the medical lessons he gave and how his door was always open to listen to the kid's dreams, nightmares, worries, and even just casual conversations. Seeing the books treated so lowly as the stranger tossed another one into a pile of collapsed ceiling left the kid seeing red.

"Get out!" Law demanded. He rushed up to the gigantic man and started pounding his tiny fists against scrawny legs. "Leave my dad alone!" He cried through a face full of salt water and snot. Law felt himself fly through the room and slam into a shaky wall. A chunk of scorched debris fell on top of his. The stranger had kicked him and man did that hurt!

Law wasn't done. He jumped back up and ran at the tall man. His tiny hands grasped at a metal pipe that was left from the fire. Before he could bring it down with his full force, a large hand scooped him up by the scruff of his neck. Trafalgar struggled and strained against the stranger's grip. After quickly realizing he was stuck he gasped out at the livid man who held him tightly. "I'll help you find what you want, just leave?" He cried out in defeat. His face and eyes already burned from how many tears he had shed.

Terrifying red eyes stared at the boy as he swung in his grip. Seconds felt like hours as the stranger looked the boy over. Finally he let the boy go. While Law fell onto the floor the man scooped up the note pad from earlier and started scratching out another message. "You can just tell me, ya know?" Law offered as he dusted himself off. He jumped back in fear as the stranger snapped his head back to him. His hands started moving rapidly. The kid recognized the movements enough to realize the man was using sign language. He was far from fluent, but his class taught him the bare basics. He quickly and clumsily signed back "sorry" as he said it out loud as well.

The stranger rolled his eyes and threw the note pad at the boy. "You're dad was hired to do some research for my boss. Any clue where his latest research journal is?" Law read and reread the page. He didn't remember his dad ever doing research for anyone else. In fact his dad only ever took interest in questions he asked himself.

"I doubt you'll find anything like that mister." Law answered as he handed the note pad back. "My dad was researching my sister's condition last. It's right here." Law hesitantly walked past the large man and to the bookshelf closest to the desk. He thumbed through a few of the burned books and picked out a thick journal with lots of notes that stuck out of it. Law went to hold it up, but a large hand snatched it out of his hands. The large man rushed through the pages looking at the words and entries. He hadn't even gone through the whole thing before slamming the journal on the ash covered floor.

A hand reached out for his note pad as he hastily scratched out "Not that one!" He shoved the note in Law's face for a second before pulling back and writing on the next page. "Think long and hard. Was there another journal your dad kept for a new drug?"

"I don't..." Fear crept into Law's voice as he tried to answer. "That's the only one I know of. We were working on it together. He doesn't keep things from me." Law tried to stitch words together in his panicked state, but he could only get out slightly understandable sentences.

The tall stranger's foot connected with the desk right next to Law and shoved the whole thing with a loud KACHUNK. The kid cowered in on himself, hiding under his hat and arms. He shook in fear for his life. His mind started racing. That really was the only journal Law knew his dad was working on. Or... Now that he thought of it, he did find a journal awhile back. His dad got angry when Law was found studying it, which was odd since his dad usually encouraged it.

Law chanced a glance through his arms up at the stranger who was now throwing things around the burnt office. He had turned towards the kid and looked like his rampage was about to make a direct course towards the child. "W-WAIT!" Law yelled out. "I think I know where it is!" The older man's hand stilled in the air just inches away from Law's tear stained face. "He..." Trafalgar swallowed a lump in his throat before continuing. "He kept one that I wasn't supposed to mess with. It's in the safe last time I checked."

The stranger grabbed the kid by the shoulder and pulled him up to his feet. He signed something that Law guessed was along the lines of "Show me" or "Where is it". The kid pulled out one of the bottom drawers of the desk and reached in the empty space between where the drawer was and the floor. Tiny hands produced a small metal box that was tightly locked.

"The key is on top of that shelf there." Law said as he pointed to a near by book shelf. The tall stranger effortlessly slid his hand over the top, knocking much of the ash and burnt house off of it. A smell metal key clinked against the ground in a flash of silver. The large man tossed Law the key and he quickly opened the safe up. He picked a smaller journal out of the safe and looked it over. It was far smaller and less decorated than what his dad usually wrote it, but this was definitely the one he remembered being yelled at over. His hands shakily handed the journal over to the stranger.

The man thumbed through the book and looked over the writing. He suddenly seemed content with what he was holding. The tall stranger turned on his heels and offered a vague wave as he started towards the door Law had left open. The kid couldn't believe that was all it took to get rid of him. "Wait..." The word left his lips before he even noticed he was speaking.

The stranger turned around slightly annoyed. "What do you want with that? It's not even finished."

"Need it." The man wrote on the pad before trying to leave once again.

"It's not even finished. I don't know what it's supposed to cure, but that drug isn't finished yet."

This caught the stranger's attention suddenly. He scribbled on his pad and held it out for Law once again. "You know it's a drug?" Law nodded and another note followed. "Forget what you know about this journal and leave." The demand threw Law off guard.

He couldn't believe this stranger would ask him to forget something of his dads. Anger welled inside him and he launched forward. His hands wrenched it out of the unsuspecting man's hands and he held it to his chest as he raced halfway through the burned down house. "You forget it then!" Law didn't know much, but he was fairly certain this man was a mean evil old guy. He didn't want his dad's research to fall into his hands.

The stranger started to use his long legs to close the distance between them. The look on his face was less than friendly. He held one hand out in a "Give it to me" kind of way. Law's grey eyes darted around the burned room as he tried to think. He threw the book open and tore out the pages. This caused the man to suddenly stop. Law took the opportunity to shove the pages in his mouth and eat them.

The tall man rushed over trying to force Law's mouth open. The two struggled in the burnt living room. Somewhere along the way Law felt his side smash into a table they kept near the front entrance. He was pretty sure he had smacked the man's face a few times but his eyes were closed for most of it. In the end, Law had swallowed a hand full of pages from the journal. Many more were torn when the two of them fought over the book that now laid in pieces smothered in damp ashes and burnt house debris.

"Now only I know his research! You'll never have it." Law yelled out. He bit the man's hand trying to get loose. All he needed was a few seconds to slip out and race down the law and drive way. If he could just get to the street he'd be close enough to the rest of the neighbors. They'd surely hear his yelling and come to his aid. All he had to do was get free.

The stranger took more from that outburst than Law meant for him to. He had accidentally let it be known that he had in fact studied his dad's forbidden journal. This child prodigy was about to learn that being smart wasn't always a good thing. The kid suddenly felt the man's hands wrap around his neck. Small hands scratched at the bigger ones that held him in place. The world was quickly getting darker and farther away. He struggled with all his might but found that his strength was leaving him.

Small grey hands scanned over the dilapidated house he once called a home. The black ash was soon the only thing he saw as his lungs burned for air. His head fell to the side in the stranger's grasp as he lost consciousness.


	3. Mind Games

It smelled like a fire. That was the first thing Law could think of as he slowly came back to consciousness. The second thing was the pain in his head. It was the worst headache he could ever recall having. The pain was so great he could cry, well he would if it didn't feel like he was dehydrated and dizzy. As he slowly came back to consciousness more and more, the nerves in his body started screaming at him. Nothing felt broken, but damn he felt like he lost a fight with a car.

Law forced his hazy golden eyes open. What was going on? Where was he? His memory was foggy and he half expected to wake up in his room. The comfortable sheets tangled around Lami and him with the sound of his parents waking up down the hall. Instead, he saw a large obsidian room. The tiles were black as night and shined with a glittering lacquer finish. The walls were covered in the same tiles and large cloths of neon pink fabric fell from the ceiling in waves. Fairy lights glittered in the tulle fabric over head. The dull lights reflected on the walls and floor all around him. It was like the last lights at dusk as the sun set and left the world in darkness.

"You let a brat like this get the better of you?" A low voice snickered. "Maybe it was a mistake to trust you with such an important task. Next time I'll just send Vergo." The voice sounded haughty, like he owned the world and would gloat about it to anyone who lent him an ear.

A scratching came next. It sounded so vaguely familiar to Law. Even worse, though, is how quickly his fight or flight response kicked in from listening to that sound. Law could feel the pain in his body lessen as the weight disappeared. Every muscle now screamed at him to flee and never look back. His memories rushed back. He recalled the burned down house, the missing family members, and the fight with the tall scarred stranger. Frightened golden eyes widened as he turned his head. Tiny arms pushed him off the floor, bracing to run on his hands and knees like a desperate runner at the start line. His nails scratched at the glistening black tiles below him as his worse fear was realized. The tall crow man from before was in the same room as him, writing angrily on that beat up note pad of his.

"Looks like he's awake." The voice called out a bit louder than before. It seemed more for Law's sake, so that the boy knew the two men noticed him waking up. Golden eyes flicked over to another large man who sat in a large pink throne on the opposite side of the black room. The new man had to be just as tall as the other. He had similar short blond hair and lean stature.

"Who..." Law coughed slightly as he tried to push the words out of his dry throat. "who are you?" Ice cold sweat broke out over his body as he assessed the situation. To the best of his knowledge he wasn't tied up or shackled. He didn't feel any resistance when he moved earlier and there was no extra weight around his wrists or ankles either. The two tall men stood on the other side of the huge obsidian room. Seeing as there was no door behind them nor on either of the walls Law could see, surely it meant the door was behind him. If he ran, if he jumped up right now and his legs carried him as fast as he could, maybe he'd get away. His golden eyes slid away from the tall figures and eyed at what little he could see behind him. There was just a bit of a door frame covered in pink with large diamond knobs. Yes! He could run away. How stupid to leave him so close to the door.

"Go ahead and run." The deep voice suggested. Law snapped his eyes back towards the pair. Had they read his mind? "A young kid like you must have the energy to run pretty far. We're rather older than you and neither one of us like to run." The man cloaked in pink continued. "It's not a bad plan but do you know what's outside that door?"

Law felt his face drop. He hadn't put too much thought into that. Whatever it was, he doubted it was a police station.

"I'll let you in on a secret." The haughty man mocked with a thin smirk on his lips. "You're twenty six floors off the ground. We're in my private owned building. No matter how fast you are, you wouldn't have enough time to figure out the layout and get all the way out of the building. Don't be surprised if my pawns tackle you to the ground as you try. They are rather suspicious of anyone who tries to run around in here."

"Why are you telling me this?" Law barked out. He hated how quickly all hope for him seemed to shatter as if this man just threw a glass to the floor.

"I'm simply hoping you'll make the smarter choice and sit down for a rational discussion. Like I stated before, Cora and I don't like to run." The man's long arm swept towards a fancy pink couch that sat between them.

The kid bit his lip as he shakily pushed himself off the floor. He slowly walked up three large steps onto a meeting area that was raised above the rest of the room. There were a few pink couches with black wood work set around the throne the man sat upon. On either side of the couches were a few chairs with the same vibrant pink fabric mixed with carved black wood framing. He shuttered nervously, his body giving away his fears. Shaking legs nearly collapsed under him as he sat on the center most couch. Law took the chance to scan the room in more detail.

Four large chairs sat three more steps above the sitting area Law was on. From left to right it was an emerald green chair with the back forming an elaborate four leaf clover next to a red chair with a beautifully haunting heart design. In the middle was a large space with six more stairs leading up to where the two men were stationed. After the gap was a yellow diamond chair. Last was a purple spade chair. All of them had the same black lacquered wood for their frames and were far bigger than any chair ever needed to be.

The large pink cloaked man sat atop it all on a plush pink chair that really must have been a love seat by how big it was. This one was the nicest looking with how much black lace and gems adorned the bottom of it. The man wore a smile that was unsettling at best. He turned to the scarred man who wore a jacket of black feathers and muttered something to him. The standing man nodded and walked down the steps. He took a seat in the red heart chair before the other spoke out loud again.

"This meeting is now in order. As a courtesy to you, despite your young age, I shall treat you with all the formality of any other client. As much as I would love to address you as a brat, that's not the kind of respect I show. Who am I addressing?"

"Huh?" Law had geared up for the worse. Some how, a formal conversation with a strange man wasn't a scenario he had even thought of. "I mean, uh, Law. My name is Law." He bit at his lip, suddenly uncertain if just his name was too much to give out.

"Well Mr. Law," The older man started. "I am Doflamingo. It's quite a mouthful so you may address me as Doffy for now. You are currently a guest of the Donquixote gang. My brother, Corazon Donquixote, has brought you here in light of a recent incident. It has come to my attention that you destroyed a rather important medical journal of mine."

"That was my dad's journal!" Law shouted in protest.

"A corpse possesses nothing." Doflamingo frowned. "I had commissioned the man to research a little something for me. Upon hearing of his passing I merely wished to take back what was rightfully mine."

"Your idea of taking it back included trashing what was left of his study?" Law spat out venomously.

His attention turned towards Corazon. He cocked an eyebrow before letting slip a small laugh. "My dear brother can have a rather hard time finding things some times. He meant no ill will towards you. He could have just left with the journal and let you straighten up what was left behind, but you made that impossible for him." Doffy turned the conversation back in his favor. "That journal was rather important to my business. I'm rather a nice guy but ruining my business affairs really pisses me off."

Law's eyes widened at the man's words. He was an adult, but he just cursed in front of a kid! Adults didn't do that! Suddenly Law felt the gravity of the situation set in. Maybe the man really meant it when he told Law he would be treated as an adult. Would he be tried as an adult as well?

"My brother knows far too well what happens when you disobey me." Corazon frowned and his eyes darted away. A hand instinctively raised to cover his lower face, hiding his torn cheeks. "Imagine my surprise when he reported back to me that he lost the journal!" Doffy said in obvious mock surprise. "And yet the person who did it was alive and unharmed."

Law's hands turned to fists in the pink cushions under him. Yeah right he was unharmed. Any kid would have some major injuries after a fight like that. Nothing was broken but he was pretty sure his ankle was twisted and one of his elbows was sprained. Something in the man's words made it seem like he didn't even think those injuries were relevant. Law kept his mouth shut as Doflamingo kept talking.

"So is it true? Do you really know what was in that book?" Doffy asked towards the end of a lengthy tirade that Law mostly didn't pay attention to. The kid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Should he lie? Would he be let go if he didn't know? No, this man was dangerous. Even if he didn't get killed on the spot, he may be in trouble if Doflamingo found out his lie.

"It is." Law finally nodded. "My dad was teaching me medicine. I studied his journals for fun."

"That can't really be fun." Doffy muttered more to Cora than to Law. "Would you be able to reproduce the journal?" He asked in a louder voice.

"I could." Law again nodded as he spoke cautiously.

"Do that for me and you'll be released." The pink cloaked man smiled down at the kid. The promise was tempting, but there was poison between the words.

"No." Law answered.

"And why not?" Doffy resituated himself in the giant chair, leaning on his hands. He hunched over and stared down his nose at the tiny boy.

"I don't trust you with the journal or with your promise." Anger crossed the man's face and for a second Law realized his arrogance may have just sped up his inevitable death. Corazon let out a strangled noise much like a laugh. He quickly hid his smile from his brother and turned away from the two of them.

"You realize the alternative is just killing you, right Mr. Law?" Doffy stood to his full height, a daunting ten feet tall and even taller still on his raised pedestal. Law suddenly was horrifically aware of how small and truly powerless he was.

"But!" Law shouted trying to save himself even a few seconds. "I will reproduce the work. I'll never write it down for you though."

"You'll make it for me?" Doffy wondered out loud standing still and staring back at the boy.

"My dad's work was never finished. He passed before he could make the drug stable. I was trained under him. I know the science and medicine behind it. I can continue his research for you." Law found himself standing in front of the pink couch. He was no where as intimidating as the other, but he still felt confident in his compromise.

The room was dead silent as the two stared down one another, daring the other to break. The larger man opened his mouth and started to laugh uncontrollably. The scratching sound reverberated off the black tiles and echoed through the room. "You cheeky bastard!" Doflamingo shouted. "That's an offer I really can't refuse. It's the only way I'll win and you can guarantee your life will continue. You even gain protection from the most fearsome gang in all of the Grand Line." The man laughed even louder.

Something about that laughter seemed to unnerve Law more than any other part of their conversation. It wasn't funny, it was filled with rage and other emotions.

"You've got some real balls kid. You may just fit in well here." He sauntered down the steps and grabbed at his brother's shirt. The sheer force dragged the large man up out of the chair. "Corazon, you're in charge of this brat. Tonight you'll get him settled in and he'll accompany you on any jobs I have for you until I have his study ready."

The black cloaked man tore his brother's arm away from him and walked towards Law. His legs were so long that he skipped the three steps altogether. A hand wrapped around Law's arm and bore down like a vise clamp. As the two of them neared the only door into the room, Doffy shouted out one last command. "Send Vergo in. I have some new assignments for him." Cora raised his free hand and gave a weak wave.

Law was dragged along in silence through an elaborate up scale building that looked a lot like a hotel. He did his best to memorize the whole lay out, all the doors, and more importantly all the faces they passed. The further away they got from the large obsidian room, the less people Law saw. It wasn't until a few floors later that he realized why. His face turned to look up at the large man who was dragging him around. He realized the man was watching other people walking through the building and taking routes to avoid them. The two of them ran past an elevator that was opening up and raced into some random room before the occupants could get out and start walking around.

Corazon threw the kid against the door they rushed into and slapped a hand over his mouth. The tall man pressed an ear to the door and listened as the people walked away and finally closed one of the other doors on that floor. The two of them stood in complete silence for a few minutes afterwards as if to be sure no one else was around.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the man let go of Law and paced away. Law could finally see the room they were in. It was a large supply closet filled with brooms, vacuums, extra chairs and tables, even some very nice looking china all polished and set in a display case. Corazon was pacing around the room. He turned to look at the boy and every so often made an exasperated gesture. He pulled out his messed up notebook and started scratching away on it.

"That was a dumb move kid. Doflamingo hates to lose." The note read. Before Law could fully finish reading it, Corazon snatched it back and kept writing. "You may have bought yourself some time, but beware. You won't be safe."

"What do you mean!?" Law shouted out in fear. A large hand slapped over his mouth and the man held a free finger up to his lips telling Law to be quiet. "He-he can't kill me. He needs me. I should be safe, right?"

"For now..." Another note read. "If you ever slip up and give that man what he needs, you're going to be dead."

"Then I'll just be super careful. I'll never write my work down." Law announced proudly. "But, wait... that won't work cause I need to keep research notes. My memory isn't that good." He suddenly started to look panicked. Was this what Doflamingo was betting on? Law keeping his own research journal that could easily be stolen? What if Law did manage to stabilize and create the drug? Doflamingo could give it to a scientist that he trusts to deconstruct it. A pit formed in Law's tiny stomach. He was starting to see what he really had gotten himself into.

"Am I... going to die?" Law lifted his face and stared deep into the other man's eyes. His golden ones were shrunken in terror and devoid of their sparkling luster. His skin paled far worse than Lami's ever was. A cold sweat stung his skin as the ice in his veins froze his entire body. What was death? What would happen? He'd just stop existing? Was it blackness? Silence? He couldn't even wrap his mind around the idea of not existing.

The large man looked grimly down at the boy in front of him. His lips flinched into a frown before he pulled away to his full height. He produced a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He stared off into the distance and ran a hand through his messy blond hair. Law could only watch the man as if waiting for a doctor to diagnose him with a terminal illness. His thumping heart seemed to slow as he really looked at the foe turned keeper. Something about the evening light that filtered through the small windows and shined on him was relaxing. The way the smoke caught the light and floated like clouds, the smell from the cigarette, even the distant look on his painted face was calming.

Black feathers rustled in the sunlight as the man moved and produced a final note. "You're going to be okay. I'll watch over you." The man turned fully towards Law and smiled a large toothy grin. He held up his other hand in a thumbs-up gesture. The credibility was stripped from the statement as soon as the feathers caught fire from the cigarette and the man stood in that goofy thumbs up pose as his shoulder crackled and burned.

Law was rather certain he had been born under an unlucky star.


	4. New World

Once Corazon was no longer on fire and Law was no longer a crying mess, the two men made their way out of the supply closet. The tall man guided Law around by the arm once more and they went back up a few floors. The boy was sufficiently lost by the time they reached their destination. He figured they were somewhere on floor twenty or maybe twenty one? He had lost count on the stairs.

Corazon placed a hand on large oak doors. They were just as decorative as the rest of the damn building. The frame was carved with intricate designs and the handles were replaced with jewels. Law felt a warmth on his shoulder. He tore his eyes away from the detail on the door to look up at the blond man above him. Corazon nodded down at Law and the boy nodded back.

Large oaken doors slowly swung open to reveal an entire house on the other side. A large living room and a dining room with several chairs around it greeted him. As with everything in the building, it was filled with items of the finer quality. Glistening glasses, fine china, and large leather sofas adorned the rooms.

Law felt his legs carry him into the room in shear surprise and curiosity. Glittering golden orbs flit across the scene as he tried to take in the sheer grandeur of the place. The entry way was thick pink marble with shelves sculpted into the wall for shoes to be kept. Directly above the dozens of shoes were wooden doors that nearly blended into the wall. One was left ajar and showed a few differently sized light jackets hung up. A strap that belonged to, what he imagined to be a bag, dangled out of the askew door. Before taking in too much of the entry way, his attention was drawn to noises in the living room area. A giant TV screen flashed with bright colors. He gasped in awe of the size of it. Law never even fathomed that they came so large. It took up the whole wall save for the corners where tall, slim speakers sat.

The tired boy could feel excitement bubbling up in his stomach. As if forgetting everything he had just endured, he instinctively went towards the television. He watched some main character from a video game punch and fight his way through the crowded streets of a city. He tore himself away from the game long enough to notice what sat under the unbelievably large TV. More shelves were set into the wall under the TV. Every gaming system he had ever seen or heard of were set up with multiple controllers to each one in separate shelves. Law turned his head to the side and noticed more shelving on the furthest wall. There had to be a copy of every game ever made placed on those shelves. All of them were arranged by system and generation.

Law was stepping off the large marble entrance when a hand grabbed him. He looked back at the tall man cloaked in black feathers. The reality started to seep into his dream in that moment. He wanted so badly to believe that he was just another kid visiting a friend's house. That he was a welcomed guest and could play and smile carefree. But sadly that dream was burned and sat in the ashes of his old home. Now he was a hostage who made enemies with a very powerful man.

The older man slid his nice brown loafers off his feet and tucked them into a bottom shelf next to the door. He pointed at the shoes, motioning for Law to do the same. The kid grimly took them off, feeling like he had stepped outside of any comfort he still had instead of just stepping out of his shoes. Corazon walked into the living room first. He waved the tiny child to follow close behind.

"Hey Baby Five, where's my snacks?" A voice shouted out from the couch. Law didn't see anyone, but he knew there must have been another person sitting on the couch, hidden by how tall the back was.

A girl in a flowing purple dress stirred from around the dining room. She had her back to a swinging door that lead to who-knows-where. Both of her slim arms were wrapped around a large silver serving tray. Her face was scrunched up and showed nothing but concentration on what she was doing. Carefully, she maneuvered through the door and around the table. Several glasses of all sorts of drinks wobbled on the tray. Bowls of candy, popcorn, nuts, and fruits rattled as she continued her slow trek across the room.

"Baby Five, what are you doing?" A deep husky voice asked from behind Law. The kid swirled around as quickly as he could to see a very large and intimidating man standing behind him and Corazon. His jaw dropped in shock. When did that man get there? How had they not heard him come in? The intimidating man seemed to ignore him and kept his stare fixated on the tiny girl. At least he assumed so. It was hard to tell where the man was looking while he was wearing those sun glasses.

"Buffalo wanted a snack!" The girl piped up happily. Her small pale feet carefully padded across the tiles. She looked like she was making her way through a mine field instead of a dining room.

"We have people to tend to your needs." The man sighed as he walked past Corazon and Law. His perfect white sneakers shuffled across the tiles. Law got a better look at the man as he argued with the purple clad girl. He was large and looked like he was mostly muscle. A well pressed white suit adorned the intimidating man. The kid was staring slack jawed up at this scary man for the better part of a minute before even noticing the smudge of sauce and meat on the man's cheek. Law let out a soft laugh. How could such a scary man be so sloppy?

Every one's attention turned to him as he giggled to himself. Maybe, just maybe, that was a bad idea. He quieted down and put up his guard again. "Hey. Who's that?" The girl asked as she reluctantly relinquished the tray into the scary man's hands. The boy on the couch had paused his game and was now looking over the top of the leather sofa at the others.

"Did Doffy pick up another one?" He asked in an oddly goofy voice. Icy spiders scattered across Law's skin as he stood in the middle of the room, like an animal on display. Trafalgar lifted his head up and looked at Corazon who was now completely ignoring his existence. He had turned back into the quiet crow man that darkened Dr. Trafalgar's private study. Law felt horrifically alone. His tiny hands gripped at the brim of his plush hat as he looked back.

"This," The scary man started as he nodded down at Law, "Is a new family member." The kid felt his neck nearly snap when he stared in surprise at the man. Either the dark haired guy didn't notice, or more likely didn't, care as he continued on. "Doffy expects all of you to treat Law well and show him the ropes here."

"Vergo, you're being quite rude." A tall girl who had to be in her teens walked down a long hall that connected to the living room area. She leaned against the wall just barely visible around the bend. Cold piercing yellow eyes stared directly at the small boy. A sharp smile crossed the girl's face, framed by short green hair. "Introductions are important to making someone feel at home." Wow, this girl sounded like a know-it-all. She pushed herself off the wall and walked up to Law. The icy smile pulled her lips up into a fearsome expression showing pointed teeth. "My name is Monet. I'm the oldest of Doffy's kids. I look forward to getting to know you." She held out a long pale hand towards the boy.

Law hesitantly grasped it and shook the hand. His lips trembled as he tried to form words in reply. "I-I'm Trafalgar Law. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Baby Five!" The purple dressed girl piped up. She rushed over to Law and eyed him closely. Her deep navy eyes watched him intently as she leaned in and looked long and hard at him. He could feel his nerves spike up. "No fair!" She finally declared. "You're taller than me!" She whined and pouted, her arms crossing in front of her chest.

"Face it Five, you'll always be tiny!" The boy laughed from the couch. "I'm Buffalo. I'm the best around. Do everything I say and we'll get along fine." He laughed.

"Monet, is the room ready?" Vergo asked over Law's head.

"Yes, the help just put on fresh sheets and a few fixings. It's still rather bare." She waved a hand towards Law to follow her. Corazon strode across the room towards her and Law quickly followed. Vergo brought up the rear as the four of them made their way down the long hall. Monet conducted a very brief tour as they walked. "Up front is the living room and dining room. There's a door in the dining room leading to the kitchen. We don't go in there often since the staff are in charge of meals, drinks, and snacks. Of course we're still welcome to go in if we please. This whole place is ours to do as we want after all."

Monet waved a hand at the first open door they passed and continued, "This here is the library. It's stocked with text books and general kid's stories. Good for doing homework in or just passing time." A soft smile crossed her lips as she spoke. Her voice lightened up with a fondness. Law figured that like him, she found solitude and happiness in the pages of a book.

"The first bedroom is Buffalo's. If you value your sense of smell I urge you not to go in there. It's an affront to everyone." Her soft voice hardened up again in disgust. "Next is Baby Five's. She's at the end of this hall. She's got all kinds of odds and ends in there. If you can't seem to find something just ask her. She's bound to have it in there somewhere. If not she'll be excited to get it for you. Baby has a real soft spot for being useful."

The tour turned away from the first hall and down another one. "Your room will be here on the right. Sharing a wall with Baby Five's room and the bathroom on the other side. The door on the left is an empty bedroom and the room at the end of this hall is mine." She pointed a long finger down the hall to each door as she spoke. She opened the door to Law's new room and leaned down to meet eyes with him as they filtered in. "Don't ever go in my room without permission."

Law quickly nodded and didn't question why. Vergo followed Law and Monet into the room. It was a rather large space with a window half the size of a wall. The smallest child rushed up to the window and took in the sight. They were somewhere in a large city. Lights shined from large sky scrapers all around them. Twinkling in the night sky like the stars they could no longer see. They were so far up that Law could barely see the streets below. Not many people or cars passed by as he watched. All seemed rather quiet around here.

"Everything around here is controlled by the Donquixote family." Vergo spoke up. "This building, the one across the way, everything on this block and around us." The man started pointing to the buildings, sky scrapers, warehouses, and all the nearby apartments.

"I love watching the distribution plant from here." Monet piped up. She was leaning on the wall next to the door as her cold yellow eyes stared out the window in front of her. "That one there." She pointed out a large factory a few blocks over. There was a large fenced in parking lot filled with trucks of all sizes. "That one makes feminine products. Always smells like cotton."

"Distribution?" Law asked loudly. He had a rough idea of what the word meant, but still needed clarification.

"Doflamingo runs several factories and distribution plants. He makes bathroom products with plans to expand into kitchen ware. He controls the factories, hires the workers, the drivers, and vends to stores all across the nation."

Cora rolled his eyes as Vergo went on to list off all the products they manufactured. The larger man looked bored or maybe annoyed with the other's rambling. Vergo cocked his head towards Cora an almost unnoticeable amount. He seemed to have caught the displeased look and changed subjects.

"The young master has decided this room will be appropriate for your needs. Tomorrow you are scheduled to have morning tea with the head of the family and one of the elite members. I will come pick you up by nine." Vergo looked up at the feather cloaked man and stated, "Your attendance is mandatory as well."

"He'll be there too?" Law asked with a thread of hope in his shaking voice.

"Naturally. If he wants to own a pet he is expected to watch over it." There was ice cold venom in his words as he said the last part. Law felt the gravity weighing down his body, his dreams, and his life. He wasn't even a person any more. He was a dog that was intent on biting anyone's hand to get free.

"Monet, the master has summoned you to the elite's meeting tonight. Both Cora and you should get going if you don't want to make him wait."

"The meeting?" Monet hummed in surprise. "Must be something quite fun going on." She peeled herself off the wall she leaned on and sauntered out the door. Cora silently walked out behind her, leaving only Vergo alone with Law.

"You're... leaving me alone?" Law asked in quiet disbelief.

"You're never alone here. Remember that I warned you everything here is controlled by Doflamingo. The buildings, the factories, and the staff. Even if you try to escape you will find no one to help you. I'm sure you're smart enough to realize that there are no second chances here boy."

Law felt his fists ball up and shake in fear. Every second he would be watched. Could this room even be considered his if it was nothing more than a jail cell?

"There's some clothes in the drawer to wear for tomorrow. You'll also find towels and your own bathroom supplies on top of the dresser. It's important not to disgrace the master with a disgusting appearance at the conference." With that sentiment, Vergo left Law to himself. The large room felt daunting and cold.

This was the start of a very long and terrible time here in the Donquixote Gang.


	5. Innocent Youth

Law could barely feel the emotions start to well up inside him and tears threatening to spill from his eyes before hearing the sound of rushing feet in the hall behind him. There was a loud crashing sound and what must have been Baby Five shouting a quick appology to Corazon as she ran down the hall.

Both Buffalo and Five burst through the door and started running laps through the nearly barren room. "Roomie! Roomie!" Baby shouted as she jumped up on the large pristine bed. Her tiny feet pounded against the mattress as she bounced and chanted more. "We have a new roommate! Yay!"

"Do you play video games?" Buffalo inquired as he ran to the closet and swung the doors open. He didn't wait for Law to reply before continuing. "Well you better get used to playing them if you don't. I'm really good and always win. I bet you won't be much of a challenge."

"It's bare! It's empty!" Baby fell on her butt as she bounced to a stop on the now disheveled bed. "You don't got nothing!" She laughed as she and Buffalo took in the sight of a bare closet.

"You idiot! It's ain't got nothing. Don't you know grammar?" Buffalo wrongly corrected. "Where's your stuff? Didn't you have anything?" The larger boy's eyes lit up as he noticed the dresser next to Law and bolted towards it. Baby Five raced up to the wooden dresser as well. The two of them tore open the drawers and tossed what little they found out of it.

"Wow! You really ain't got nothing! Where in the world did you even come from?" Baby asked as she picked up the dress shirt off the floor. It was pink and flamboyant, obviously chosen by Doffy.

The two kids finally were quiet long enough for Law to talk. He quickly wiped the tears forming in his eyes away and answered the best he could. "M-My house burned down." How much was he allowed to say? Hell, if they would listen he would unload everything that just happened on the two of them. He didn't realize how much he needed a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.

"My whole family got caught up in it while I was at school. I really don't have anything anymore." He felt the tears come out in full force. He hated crying in front of others. Law could almost hear his mother's voice telling him to be strong. "Everything is gone and burned." His face contorted into a disgusting mess as he bawled. "Now I'm here." Okay, there was a lot missing between those two events, but he didn't have the time to sum up what had to be three chapter's worth of events for two kids he just met.

"That sucks, but at least you're here now!" Baby tried to comfort him. She couldn't know how horrible that outcome was but the attempt helped just a bit. "I know! A long hot bath always makes me feel better. What if we wash up before dinner?" She swirled around and put her hands out as if just completing a full dance routine and waited for a response.

"Do you even have anything to sleep in tonight?" Buffalo asked. Law shook his heads between labored sobs. He really was trying to calm down but all the emotions from the last few days were now flowing out of him like a faucet set to high. "Alright, I could lend you one of mine. You gotta pay me back for it with candy though." The large boy offered.

"Ew! No one wants to smell like you!" Baby shouted. She ran up to Buffalo and inhaled loudly before choking and over dramatically dying from the stench. "I'll lend you something tonight instead." She rolled up off the floor where she just fell and ran circles around Law. My night gowns are super cute! I bet you'd like the one I'm thinking of!"

"No self respecting guy wants to wear that dumb pony onsie you have." Buffalo stuck out his tongue in disgust and grabbed Law by the arm. The three of them walked down the hall towards the main room.

"But it's totally cute!" Five screeched in defense.

"I think I'll pass on that. Cute things are gross." Law chimed in.

"No, you're just a dumb boy." Baby Five countered. "You two go on ahead. I'll grab all the towels and stuff." She said before breaking away and going into her room. The two boys continued to walk back towards the living room Law had first entered through.

"Where are we going? I thought the bathroom was right across from my room?" Law asked.

"Yeah, the small one that we use for midnight potty trips." Buffalo shrugged. "This place has lots of cool rooms. That means lots of cool baths too! We're going to the big one upstairs."

"Upstairs? Are we allowed to leave this floor?" Law panicked. There was no way he was going to get in trouble with any of the large scary men here. He wasn't ready to die.

"Pffff, of course. This whole place is ours. We have free range here. I mean, as long as you don't go to the top three floors. Those are for Doffy only."

Law stood in slight confusion in the middle of the large living room. Free range? That couldn't be right. Maybe these kids weren't like him. Maybe they really did belong here. Was that even possible? Buffalo stabbed a fat finger into the wall across from all the video games. To Law's surprise an elevator door slid open The wall was so seamless that he would have never noticed it before.

"Get in, Dummy." Buffalo ordered as he waited for the smaller boy. Law shuffled in and watched the doors slide close. The number 2 was lit up and they climbed the tower from this odd little elevator.

"Are there more of these?" Law asked. "Hidden elevators I mean."

"Oh yeah, lots of them all over. All the higher ups live in this building and everyone has their own houses in here. Inside each house are stairs and elevators going between floors for more rooms and stuff. It's so the special gang members, like us and those two guys from before, can move around as we please without getting in the way of Doffy's business." He laughed and added, "That and this whole place is built like a maze. If you leave the house on your own you may end up lost for days on end. It happened to me once."

The elevator binged and opened up to the next floor. It was a large open space with all kinds of entertaining activities. A pool table, two bowling lanes, and a few arcade games dotted the room between other fun activities. This place really did have everything you could think of. "This is our play room." Buffalo offered as he walked through it and opened a glass door. There's some private sports rooms around too. We have tennis and basketball if you're like Baby and actually like exercising."

Both boys made their way down the hall as Buffalo pointed to other rooms and listed off what horrible energy consuming activities took place in them. Law figured out quite quickly that this larger boy hated anything that didn't have to do with a screen. He doubted Buffalo would ever step foot in the library downstairs.

At the end of a long hall that felt like it curved in a "U" shape, was the door to the bathroom. "Check it out. This is probably the biggest bath you'll ever see in your life." Buffalo said as he opened the heavy steel doors. Inside was steam and a strong smell of eucalyptus. "Ick, Baby Five must have put that stuff in the water again."

"What stuff?" Law asked as he entered and started to look around. All he could see were some benches and showers. No bath tub in sight. Buffalo took off his clothes and started to shower.

"She puts that smelly salt stuff in sometimes." The large boy groaned. He had barely gotten wet before turning the shower off and wiping the extra water from his face. "Hurry up slow poke!"

"Oh, right." Law nervously undressed in front of the other kid who seemed like he wasn't even paying attention. He wasn't used to group baths honestly. He never had to go out to bathe since his family was so well off. Law folded all his clothes on one of the benches and placed his hat on top. It wasn't until now that he realized just how bad he must look. His clothes and skin were covered with dirt and ash. A hand went up to his face and scraped away some dried blood. He made a mental note to look for a mirror afterwards so he could dress his wounds.

"I'm bringing in the soooooap!" Baby Five shouted through the heavy doors. She opened the doors and Law tried to cover up what he could by hiding behind a mostly see through shower curtain. His face burned bright red as she walked in and started lecturing Buffalo about his hygiene. "Now get back in the shower and use soap this time!" Her tirade ended with a bottle of flower covered pink goop being shoved into the other boy's hands.

Buffalo reluctantly turned on a shower and started to clean himself properly. That's when Five's attention turned towards the bashful Law. She marched over to him with another bottle in hand and a very green towel. "I got you some too. Don't even think of skipping the soap cause you need it just as bad as he does!" She puffed her chest out and gave him the bottle. Law grabbed it with his free hand and tried to keep hidden behind his other. Baby Five tossed the towel on a hook next to the shower before going about getting undressed herself.

"Pass me the soap when you're done. I could only carry so much up here." She said as she stepped into a shower next to Law.

He watched in amazement as both the other kids washed and went about joking between themselves. Last time he took a bath with anyone else was a few years ago when his father still had to go into the bathroom with him. This was something he'd have to get used to.

Once the water ran clean and he had scrubbed all the dirt and blood off himself, Law got out and tossed the soap to Baby who was just taking her time washing her hair. Buffalo had finished before them since he seemed to dislike cleaning up. At least he smelled better.

"Baby, we're going in first. Hurry up or get left behind." He shouted before pulling Law towards a hallway behind the showers. On the other side of the hall was a massive bath. It felt more like an outside spa with all the live plants and running water. Law slowed his pace as he took in the herbal smell that pronounced the steam. His feet felt the floor cool under them. His head turned down to see slick stones replaced the tiles that covered the shower floors. "Stop being weird and get it." Bufflo mocked as he splashed into the running water.

Law followed suit and slid into the cloudy tea-green water. A warmth and relaxation he never knew immediately swaddled him like a new born babe. The boy closed his eyes in bliss. The tiredness of the day slammed into his entire being and suddenly he couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes again. He was in a whole other place far away from his troubles. Somewhere deep in the quiet of his mind he knew he'd be spending a lot of time in this bath.

"You look beat!" A shrill voice noted. Reluctantly Law opened his heavy eye lids to see Baby Five looking him over. It was the first time either of them really stopped to look at him. Their eyes grazed over his face and shoulders. Even after a shower he looked rough for wear. Bruises and cuts covered his skin. Law figured from the pain that he had a black eye and probably a bad bump on his head.

"You're not far off." Law replied. A free hand slid up to his throat and gently pawed at where he had been choked. Just thinking about it brought back the pain and fear. That bruise was going to mark him for a very long time to come.

"You'll fit in well here." Buffalo said nonchalantly. "A lot of the family members here come from rough places."

"Family members? I thought this was a gang." Law questioned.

"It is, but Doffy likes to say we're all his family. Most of us come from bad homes, or even no homes. We like it when he calls us his family." Baby pointed out. "My mother tried to get rid of me. Said I was too much work. I was left on the streets. But Doffy took me in and now he's like my papa! Thanks to him I have a place in this world."

"You talk too much." Buffalo muttered to himself as he paddled away.

"You feel the same way I do! You told me so." Baby started to argue and yell with Buffalo. It was just like a fight between siblings. Had Law not seen the true face of that terrifying man, he could have believed what Baby said about the family. But no family should ever have a prisoner.


	6. Boy in the Bubble

The morning came all too quickly. Streams of liquid light flooded the large room and bore into Law's tired eyes. He had a restless night tossing and turning. The small boy was certain he slept a bit only because of the horrible nightmares that haunted those few lonely hours. A wall clock ticked loudly announcing each passing second before the anxiety ridden meeting. His darkly shaded eyes focused on the moments that left him to his own fate, the false safety they whispered clung to his heart.

Law pulled himself out of the large bed and dropped to the soft carpet below. There was very little time left before he entered the bear's den. Tired grey eyes drifted out his large window and spied the crowing sun. Glints of morning light glittered against the factory smoke. A warm haze blanketed the nearby district in a comfort now foreign to Law. His body buzzed with longing. Longing to move, to run away and get his life back. A small hand rested against the cold pane of glass as his eyes scanned the area. No one around. No one to catch him running free. His finger tips shook against the icy prison bars. He could almost feel the wind in his hair as he ran past these streets. His muscles tensing for the race.

Shoes clattered on the tiled floor, the sound reverberated down a long hallway. Law stepped uncomfortably in his new fancy shoes trying to get a simple rhythm and to keep up with the ever intimidating Vergo. Running away was only a pipe dream for the small boy. His reality was wearing slightly over sized clothes and uncomfortable shoes walking down a near never ending hallway to deal with a mob boss. The harsh late morning light drowned the passage and made the tall mahogany doors shine too bright. The golden door knobs blinded him as Vergo pulled at the spheres.

The room was just the same as before. Pitch black tiles glittered against the sunshine all around him as if secret gold were buried under them. The pink tulle delicately draped from the ceiling was lightly illuminated by fairy lights hidden above it all. The black wood chairs and furniture sat waiting for him. This time more people were present. Doflamingo had taken his place above them all in his large pink chair atop the mountain of stairs. All four of the seats seemed to have their owners as well. Corazon stood anxiously next to the heart chair listening as the boss rattled on about something unimportant. A large disgusting man sat on the Club chair next to him, laughing an unsettling laugh in response to the boss's rant. An unruly man who looked more like a performer than a gang member sat in his chair picking at a small plate of food in front of him. He seemed less interested in others around him. The last seat was the largest man Law had ever laid eyes upon. He bore his toned muscles through an opened button-up shirt and grimaced down at the new arrival. Just a stare from this man left ice flowing in Law's veins.

Trafalgar shakily followed Vergo as they cut their way across the expanse and joined the group. As they stepped up to the first platform Law noticed even more people. Worse yet, they all seemed to notice him. He quietly took his seat on the smallest love seat that was still uninhabited. His mind raced as he took in all the faces and fear rang in his bones.

"Now is this is new pup I've heard about?" A large lady to his left piped up. She had crazy dyed hair and a dress that could only be described as ugly.

"What about a pub? It's a bit early to be drinking." An elderly man on the chair next to her replied. He seemed more dazed and confused than Law felt. If that was even possible. He shook and mumbled something about aches to himself. Law couldn't imagine why this man was here other than accidentally wandering in and no one had the heart to kick him out.

"A small one again? Better be ready to pull your weight." A tall man that actually looked like a gangster addressed Law from the couch on his right. He some how found this man to be nearly comforting. At least he looked like what he figured a gang member would. Something in this whole place was finally normal.

Vergo climbed the stairs and stood on the right hand side of the largest pink chair there. He was squarely between Cora and Doffy as everyone slunk into their seats and straightened up for the meeting to begin. "This," Doflamingo swept a hand towards the kid "is Trafalgar Law. He is the child to our dearly departed doctor Trafalgar. He is also the sole survivor of a terrible fire that took his whole family away."

"Doctor Trafalgar is dead?" The oldest man said. He shakily cocked his head in surprise and confusion. "What a pity. He was a great... great... uh..." The man lost his train of thought and hummed to himself before shrugging it off.

"What a shame." The large lady tisked. "I was looking forward to his upcoming reveal. I heard a lot of work went into it."

"Wasn't he under your charge, Corazon?" The muscled man asked. Law's eyes flew open and his cheeks puffed out as he barely contained his laughter. Somehow the man built like a mountain sounded like a dog's squeaky toy. Something told him now was not the time to laugh though.

The red hooded man simply nodded, his facial expression never changing. Several others in the room started to mutter behind their hands and to each other. Dirty looks were cast at the towering man who sat unchanging in his seat. "Now now!" Doflamingo called out to settle the interruption. "The incident is currently under investigation and loose ends are being tied up. Which brings me to why we are gathered here this morning. Aside from being the sole survivor of the Trafalgar line, Law here is also a practicing doctor. He was trained by none other than his dad and assure me," Doffy cocked an eyebrow and smiled wickedly down at Law as he continued, "that he will do his best to replicate his dad's work. He is a competent young man who will work with us in the coming days."

"Aren't you just a kid? Why the hell did you take playing doctor so seriously when you could be playin' with toys?" The gangster looking man asked down his noes at the boy. Somehow the question seemed more sincere than skeptical.

"My dad..." Law nervously announced, "was a great man and I looked up to him. I wanted to be helpful as soon as I could. So he taught me after school."

"Isn't that precious." The lady said in the most condescending way possible. Law's fist curled in on itself. This was the first time he ever wanted to punch the grin off of a lady. He was certain he was going to hate her among the most.

"Because of the recent incident with Dr. Trafalgar, we're going to take in his child. On top of that I expect each and every one of you to keep a close eye on him. Since he's going to continue the doctor's work we have to ensure his safety. Everyone here and their subordinates are ordered to watch out for our newest member."

It was like hearing a judge sentence him to life in prison. Even with the way he was wording it there seemed to be a few knowing nods from the higher seats.

Doflamingo continued. "He's new to the area so we can't let him wander alone. It's best that you be accompanied by all times. Since you're such an important asset to us, you will be assigned to one of my elite officers. They will directly oversee you and monitor you. Everyone else here will as well but not to the same extent. Family sticks together after all." Law felt a stone sink in his stomach at the smile the man gave him. He felt the blood rush out of his face and the cold grip at him. His eyes barely had time to flash over to the heart seat where Corazon silently gave a similar reaction only caught by Law.

"Ghehehe, give him to me Doffy! Hey Doffy! Won't you give him to me?" The disgusting man in the club seat sang out as his body shifted with laughter. "I have a soft spot for spoiled kids." He gave an uproarious laugh as his feet danced in the air above the platform.

"He's just a brat but he'd be good if trained. I could get a lot more out of him if you give him here." The purple haired macho man squeaked out.

"Now now, I already have a special place for him." Doflamingo smirked. "Corazon here will watch him just like he watched the good doctor before him." A disturbing note rang in that sentence as the words flowed from his mouth.

"But he messed up his assignment!" The lady screeched. "Why the second chance for him?"

"Assignment? I forgot about the homework. Can someone let me copy off them?" The elder man murmured in confusion.

"He's the only one who worked closely with Dr. Trafalgar. He knows much more than anyone else so he needs to be the one to oversee Law. As for the unfortunate passing of the Doctor, no punishments will be handed out yet. As I stated the investigation is on going."

Law quickly lost himself in the meeting after that point. The conversation moved away from him as they continued to discuss on going operations and activities. He tried hard to listen in and keep track of who was where and what they did. The names came easy enough but following their titles and projects wasn't as simple.

Eventually the meeting dissolved into a mid morning brunch. Many servants brought in a slew of food, drinks, and plates. Everyone seemed to loosen up around the boy and started talking to him as if it were just a normal family get together. A few of them showed interest in Law. Most notably was the disgusting man who went by Trebol. He seemed to have some inside jokes with Doflamingo and pointed out a small idea of interest. Law couldn't help but over hear the two talk about how both Doffy and himself had similar up bringings. Trebol continued to do his best to convince Doffy to let him have Law. How he would raise the boy just like he did for Doflamingo.

Law didn't see why the boss wanted to tie so many lies up in his existence, but he didn't dare correct him. With any luck it would come back to help Trafalgar. He did his best to play the part of a new adopted child in the family. He opened up a bit with the adults who asked him about medicine and how he's adjusting so far. Many of them introduced themselves properly and gave a summary of what they're best at in the gang.

Piko took pride in being the hired muscle. He kept other gangs in check and kept their territory locked down. The large man seemed to rule with an iron fist and had many subordinates who covered the whole area. Senor Pink was the information line. He had a non-distinguished look about him which let him walk around freely and ask around without much suspicion. Thanks to his efforts they had informants all around the country and would soon branch out.

Jora, the large woman with a tacky style, loudly bragged about being the visionary. She helped show others the potential of their companies and distribution. While she did a lot of work business wise, he true passion was simply for the advertisements. She was a queen at spreading word and finding new ways to get their products out there. Diamonte, the Diamond seat, mentioned that he was the one in charge of the factories. He ran them and listened closely to Jora for ideas. Ultimately he was the one who raised the whole operation off the ground and kept expanding it though. Law was impressed with that fact since the man in front of him didn't look competent enough to run such a big scheme.

Hours passed before everyone slowly emptied out of the large decorated room. Law was very nearly the last out escorted by Senor back to the kid's corner. All that stayed behind was Doflamingo, Vergo, and Corazon who seemed content to carry on behind closed doors.

Law spoke openly and comfortably to the tall skinny man who showed him around the new building. Pink appeared so much more friendly than he ever would have imagined. Which begged the question; had he taken everything out of context? Was yesterday just a bad dream? He was just a poor naive child who wanted to make sense of his new place in life. The voice in his head tried to comfort him with what-ifs and lies that he gladly clung to. Maybe, just maybe, he could have a life here. He could have a family.


	7. The Cost of Trust

The next few weeks were filled with Law getting to know the people and places better. Many of the adults he met took a liking to him and stopped by to talk between their missions. On a few rare occasions Vergo would ask a question or two in relation to Law's medical studies, but never stayed much longer than that.

Buffalo and Baby had taken a liking to Law as well. The two loved having him around to play second player or drag around the kitchen playing girly games. The kids played around and shared their catered home life with one another. Even Monet would join them for dinner and a quick round of what ever video game Buffalo was into that week.

It would have been such a great life, if it weren't for the fact that Law found himself unable to move around unaccompanied. The small child was quickly confronted by nameless gang members the last time he left the children's block by himself. The only time he was allowed to roam around the large building was when a seated member was with him. More often than not it was either the disgusting Trebol or the weirdly nice Senior. They'd take him out for a stroll around the many floors to talk to him one on one or, in Trebol's case, rant about possible futures for the kid.

Law found himself sitting in the library on a quite morning. He skimmed over the only medical book in the children's area. His tired grey eyes lazily flowed along the streams of ink taking nothing in. Not that it went over his head, but he'd read this all before. It was rather basic first aid stuff. A few shelves over he listened to the rhythmic page turning of Monet. She poured most of her free time into the library as well. It became a comfortable silence between them during the early hours of the day.

He sighed out in boredom and put the book down. The dawning light was turning from the bright gold to the dull daytime blue. The world outside was waking up and the smoke stacks puffed out their morning exhaust as if filling the sky with clouds. A soft rapping at the door tore his thoughts away from the outside world.

"Oh, hello Corazon." Monet spoke up. She flipped her book upside down and strolled over to the large man in the doorway. Her hands moved in sign language as she spoke to the heart seat. "What brings you here today?"

Law's hands followed Monet's as best he could as she signed. The gang had been teaching him some key phrases to use around Corazon, but Monet seemed to be one of the few who were actually fluent. The small boy did his best to learn from her whenever she was in a teaching mood.

Cora raced his arms through the motions and confused the boy. Monet seemed to take notice of Law following the conversation. She politely positioned herself out of the way so Law could see both of them clearly as they signed. "You're here for a mission?" Monet said as she signed back roughly what Corazon had just signed to her. "Have you come for my assistance?"

The larger man shook his hand as he pointed to where Law was sitting. The boy looked around then suddenly caught on. He pointed to himself to confirm and Cora nodded. Monet interjected as she stole back Cora's attention. "I know he's supposed to serve under you, but isn't he a bit young for it still?"

Law worried about that statement. Young for it. He knew that Monet, being in her older teens, was just now being brought into the gang's missions. He'd seen how hard she tried to be useful to the other seats who came around, how she pined to be part of the meetings and operations. The child was worried she's quickly resent him for going on his first mission long before she could go on her's. Mostly though, he feared the connotation behind her question. Why would he have to be older for a mission? His dad used to tell him how dangerous being a surgeon could be but still let him learn and practice at home, so something being age restricted sang of danger.

Corazon's face betrayed him. He looked just as worried as Law felt. His hands were more confident liars as he signed "No".

"But what abou-"

"Orders from the top." Cora signed quickly and looked down in frustration. He quickly tried to regain composure and smiled over at Law. He beckoned to the staring kid. That was a phrase that he learned already. He knew that meant Doflamingo himself commanded it. He may have been a kid, but he knew not to fight the giant pink bastard on his own turf. His heart was still beating in fear from the last time he spoke out of turn to that wicked man.

"I'll be fine!" Law smiled at Monet. "I've got Corazon to watch me." He said as he walked away from his book and past the tall teen. She shakily wore a smile and tried to hide her concern from the kid.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm sure Doffy wouldn't ask you to do anything too hard." She patted Law's puffy black hair and waved him off as the two set off down the hallway and outside of the kid's corner.

Law felt his nerves spark with electric pain. His head was spinning and his heart was racing. For the first time in what had to be nearly three months he was let out of the building. The crunch of gravel under his shoes and the warm light on his skin had nearly become foreign to him. He could run away. Every time he day dreamed while looking out the window he imagined himself in this exact situation. What could possibly keep him from taking off?

Corazon must have noticed the excitement in Law's step as he tread ahead of the taller man. The young boy couldn't hide his true intentions but was quickly held back by a long arm as vice-like fingers dug into his shoulder. His head twisted back. Guilt fell over his face and a weight fell on his heart. The tall man frowned and shook his head slightly in disapproval. Damn old man was supposed to be helping Law, right? Right!?

The blonde nodded his head to the side and seemed to motion just over his own shoulder. Law looked back past the leader of heart and noticed a few men walking behind them. They looked pretty normal but stayed far back behind them. It was at this point that he noticed the group was slowing down as to not pass the two of them. Law started walking again and dragged Law by the hand. The boy chanced a few looks over his shoulder to see the group moving at a now faster pace keeping the same distance as always behind them. Even after a few blocks of quietly walking through the city the men continued their tailing.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Law quietly chastised himself for thinking an adult like Doflamingo would over look something so simple. Law could try to rationalize everything to himself, thinking it was just a game of chess that he needed to win, but his body betrayed him. His childish fear tightened his grip on Corazon's hand. Sweat dotted his forehead and icy spiders danced down his spine. How much control over the city did Doffy actually have? Were they bluffing when they said his influence reached throughout the city and they were expanding?

The terrified thoughts of the child had blinded him to what was going on around him. At some point they had left the business district and the roads decayed away. Buildings crumbled in disrepair and city life became scarce. The few houses that lined the streets were unkempt at best and abandoned at worse. Wooden planks boarded up the ghost town and weeds overtook the suburb that once was. Corazon kept walking down the barren streets in a meaningful way. He seemed to know exactly where this was and wanted to be here as much as Law wanted to be in that damn building under Doflamingo's control.

The men who once followed seem to back off much further now that they were all out in the middle of no where, or at least they were getting better at hiding at tailing the pair. Law's cold grey eyes filled with worry and frustration turned themselves up towards the man who was leading him. Corazon was extra quiet today. His stride was much faster and more purposeful that normal. He had lost the quirky way he normally carried himself. Instead it seemed as if the hand holding Law's was squeezing him back just as tight as Law held his.

"Hey, Cora." Trafalgar quietly started. "What are we doing out here anyway? I didn't think Doflamingo wanted me out of his sight." Corazon looked down at him and with his right hand he signed the word "Mission" in response. With how little sign language Law knew that was probably the most he could get out of him anyway.

Still though, the older man seemed trouble and Law wanted to comfort him, especially since this man was the one saving grace in his life right now. All he could do was to rub soft circles on the man's hand as they continued down one street after another.

It must have been an eternity of walking later before they came upon anything interesting. Black ash and burnt structures littered the waste land that was the old suburb. They walked through the pitch dirt colored by what must have been the recent rain storm and ash as black as coal. The ground was lifeless around this part. No weeds, no grass, only the burnt skeletons of trees and houses. A rusted pile of metal sat untouched in a large block of dead land. The tiny boy could recognize a playground when he saw one, even if it was destroyed long ago. A single basket ball hoop was left standing, be it a bit sideways, in the middle of the abandoned area.

Corazon slowed down as the two approached a large building. Flames must have once licked the sides of this mansion since the outside was stained by the ash and void around it. Many of the glass windows had broken over the time the place sat abandoned, whether it be from heat, disrepair, or kids throwing stones. The front door sat ajar hanging precariously from one hinge. Tiny grey eyes looked the large house over. It felt like a mirror to his own home. The large multi story home that was nothing more that a shell of a family that once lived there. He could even swear he saw the shadow's of residence's past that lived there.

Trafalgar also noticed a tight lipped grimace cross Corazon's face. Even with the red smile painted on his lips he couldn't hide his discomfort... or was it fear? His throat bobbed as he swallowed his emotions before turning to Law and putting a finger to his lips in a shushing manor. The large man quietly walked around the house to a small shed that sat in the far corner of the property. It was a wooden house with paint peeling from the warped frame. It looked as if children had once played there. Corazon ducked down low so that he could squeeze inside the shack. Law pushed in after him and held back a small laugh. With the larger adult hunched over at the waist the whole shack was filled by the one tall man.

A long finger pointed down to the floor and Law's gaze followed it. Hidden under ash and dirt was a small metal handle. Curiosity grabbed him and forced him to pull it open before even being told what to do. The small kid was filled with odd delight as he uncovered a full passage way under them. He jumped into the hole and found the path was much larger and nicer than he expected. Corazon followed after him and was stuck crawling on all fours just to move through the hall. The large man fumbled around the chamber to pull out his zippo lighter. As he flicked it on for light, Trafalgar snatched it out of Cora's hand and held it far away from him. After having seen how flammable this idiot was there was no way he'd burn alive with a clumsy adult under ground.

The larger man struggled to grab the lighter back but gave up after hitting his head on the ceiling and walls a few too many times. He finally pouted and just pointed forward to spur the stubborn boy on wards. Law shuffled down the long forgotten about passage to the end where another hatch awaited them. This one was much harder to open but after a bit of struggling the two of them forced it open. They crawled up into what must have once been a kid's bedroom. There were two beds on either side of them and dust coated toys speckled the floor.

Corazon motioned for Law to stay put as he walked past him to open the door quietly. He peered around as if expecting something. After a few seconds he left the room and wandered away from the stranded child. Law felt years worth of stale air and dust waft thickly into his lungs each time he breathed. He couldn't help but wonder if this is what would happen to his house. Would it become just as bad as this place?

The hazy sunset seeped through the window frames. Dust glittered in the soft orange glow and laid an air of mystery and intrigue on the room. Law shuffled around the bedroom taking it all in. Toy soldiers lined the bookshelves and plastic green army men were hidden in every nook and cranny. There was some art stuff and childish hand writing on a note book. As he looked around he noticed some etching on the head board of the beds. Law walked towards the one closest to him trying to get close enough to read it.

BAM!

A sudden sound kicked him into fight or flight. Unfortunately for the small boy he was more fight than flight. He ducked low and raced towards where the loud noise came from; through the door and down a hall. Near where he assumed the front of the house was he saw Corazon standing half way in between the hall and the room in front of him. The sun light lit him up from behind and painted his back in soft oranges, almost as if he were on fire again. That's when Law noticed the wall behind the adult. It had a sizable chunk taken out of it.

"Cora!" Law yelled as he raced towards the tall man. Something had happened and he needed to know what. The man jolted as he turned to face Law, not expecting the child to sprint at him. He raised a hand to motion for the boy to stop before another loud noise rang the dust loose through the whole house.

BAM!

Law's ears rung as he flinched back. Corazon reeled backwards and hit the splintered wall behind him. "Get away!" a woman's voice screeched out from the other room. "I'm not going back there! You can't take me!" The panic in her voice was matched equally by her determination to live by those words. Corazon regained his composure and let out an annoyed "tch" before he raised his right hand. In it was the shape of a gun silhouetted against the cold void of the house around them. Law's eyes flung open as he took in the sight.

The hallow echo of a trigger being pulled rang out from the other room. Who ever was in there had tried to shoot again only to be faced with a lack of ammo. The noise sounded out a few more times before a metal clang of a gun being thrown towards Corazon rung out.

The tall man took a few commanding steps into the room and Law followed quickly behind. He was scared but curiosity and adrenaline kept him going. In the darkened shadows of the house Law could make out a woman who had fallen to her knees. She trembled in front of Corazon's gun. "phu-please..." she pushed the word out by force, "please spare me. " She begged in an almost hopeless attempt.

Her voice suddenly hitched as it all came tumbling out of her. "You can't make me go back to him. I can't keep working for that bastard!" Rage filled her voice where fear once was. "He can rot in hell for all he's done! You can't make me go back there. You're the heart seat right? I've heard of you. You have to let me leave. I'm pregnant. I'm trying to get out for my baby's sake." Her voice dropped back to a plea. She leaned back a bit to show off her swollen belly. Law could see from the entry way that the woman was a good four maybe five months along.

"You can't take me back there. I chose to live that life but don't make my child grow up under the influence of that... man. That devil. Please just pretend you didn't find me. I-I'll leave town tonight. Far away from here. You'll never hear of me again. Just look the other way."

Law couldn't see Corazon's face but he could clearly see the worried mother's face. He sympathized with her. He didn't want to be under Doflamingo's control either. He especially didn't want to see another kid like him forced to grow up with that man. Knowing Cora like he did, surely the man would look the other way. They'd go back and report a mission failure. They were brother's right? Doffy couldn't stay mad at his own brother for a botched mission. That just wasn't what siblings did.

B A N G

..

...

Law's eyes opened wide as his whole head rang with the sound of the gun going off. It was different from before. He couldn't fully process what had just happened before he watched the mother-to-be fall lifelessly to the ground in front of them. She sprawled backwards, part of her head was just gone, barely hidden by the blood matted hair that fell on it. Her eyes stuck in a state of shock and horror as a pool of blood collected under her, staining the ashy floor crimson.

The whole world was spinning. Law clutched at the wall as he slumped down and threw up on the floor below him. His eyes stung as waves of tears washed over his face. Snot dripped from his noes. Fear and confusion shook his entire body. The unbalanced boy fell to the floor, knees first, and wailed loudly. Screams and choking noises escaped him and shattered the deadly silence around them.

That was his fate if he ever tried to run away. Worst of all, did that mean that Corazon would be the one to pull the trigger on him? Law's mind ran laps as he processed everything this meant. The grief spun him senseless. Could he trust this man? Did he even care? Clearly not if there was a dead woman and her unborn baby laying just a foot away from them both. Law's tiny head shook as he slowly turned to look up at the killer. Corazon refused to look him in the eye and rather puffed away on a cigarette in his hands. The last of the sunset had vanished and the dim glow of the embers lit up the blood splattered fingers holding it.

Clearly Corazon wasn't to be trusted, he was Doflamingo's brother after all...

Somehow Law found himself in the shower back at the tall sky scraper in the middle of the factory district. He couldn't quite recall how he had gotten there. He remembered staying as far away from Corazon as he could without having actually ran away. His legs were weak and he was fearful of dying. Law hazily remembered Cora walking with him to the children's corner and instructing him to wash up before Vergo summoned the older man away.

Empty grey eyes looked down at the dirty water washing over the dark blue tiles under his feet. Dry red blood washed down the drain with all the dust and dirt of the day. No matter how long the water ran he swore that he could see the red flow down with it. Even if he wasn't the one to pull the trigger he sat back and just trusted that Corazon would show mercy. He had blood on his hands both literally and metaphorically for the rest of his life.

His skin was dry and cracked from how much he tried to wash the fear and pain off of him. His mind throbbed from all the hurdles he jumped through trying to barter his innocents. His hands were sore from grasping at every string that let him believe Corazon was still a friend. That the man was still on his side. Law felt utterly helpless. Helpless and alone.


	8. Red Water Dreams

Law had spent days locked up in his room. He laid on his bed most of the day wishing to sleep his entire life away. Baby Five constantly brought him food and even tried to pick out new books for him to read so he had something to do. Most of it was in vain. Law couldn't stomach much food aside from some soup later in the day and he didn't feel like reading at all. Not to say the girly young adult romance novels interested him much to begin with.

The light of day seemed to paint his small jail cell quickly over time. He watched as the sunrise turned to the blindingly unfiltered light of day only to fade into gentle pastels of sunset and bleed away into night time. Whenever he could muster the strength he got out of bed and looked out the window down to the factories below. He could get swept up imagining what life was like for anyone down there. How they could work a steady shift and go home to friends and family. They probably never killed anyone either, gang front or not. Factory workers just had to worry about the product and the trucks.

Every time he slept for too long he remembered the woman's face bathed in the hot reds and oranges of the sunset. The tears burned her face like fire before the bullet took her. Law would scream himself awake and curl in on himself trying to wish away the images of her in both life and her final rest.

A knock sounded on his closed wooden door. It was far too late for Five to be bothering him with her rant about health and eating. Maybe Buffalo finally got tired of playing video games by himself again and was looking for a victim. The door swung open before Law could continue to speculate who it could be.

Cold golden eyes stared down at the bunched up kid. He drew his legs closer in on himself as Monet stepped into the room and looked him up and down. A disgusted hum left her throat as she judged him from afar. "This place stinks." She scolded. The girl strolled over to the window and threw it open so the night air could drift in. The door slammed open behind her in the sudden draft. "You need a bath."

"Don't feel like it." Law pouted from his bed. He didn't even have the strength to get out of bed to close the door again.

"Did I ask if you felt like it? No. No I didn't. Just suck it up and use some damn soap. Buffalo can't get away with out showering at least every other day either. Smells like you're way past due on that one."

"Why did you even come in here?" Law bit out as he watched her walk around his room disgusted by every detail of his life.

"The executive meeting just ended and Doflamingo asked me to fetch you for him. There's no way you're going like that though." She leaned against the dresser and stared down on him with disapproval on her face.

"There's no way I'm going at all." Law said stubbornly.

"You're going and you're taking a shower first." Monet stated as she stood up to her full height. "We're not about to argue over this."

"You're still a kid too. I don't have to listen to you." Law laid down and turned on his side away from her. He didn't even care if Doflamingo wanted to come in his room himself. Trafalgar wasn't about to move.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Monet said as she pried Law off the bed in a single swoop. She grabbed his wrist like a falcon clutching prey and dragged him out of the room.

"Hey! Stop it! Let go!" Law yelled. He stumbled behind her trying to keep his arm attached to the rest of himself. "I don't WANT TO!" Law screamed down the hallway.

"Suck. It. Up." Monet pulled the smaller child up the staircase to the second floor and sighed in slight relief when dragging him across the tile floor upstairs made it easier on her. He had fallen over by now and was simply being dragged like a doll in a child's hands. "What's up with you? Ever since you got back from your mission you've been so self absorbed and annoying."

"Self absorbed?" Law questioned. He wasn't quite sure what that meant but using context clues he figured it wasn't a good thing. "It's none of your business." He huffed out.

The two of them had arrived in the showers and Monet finally let go of the boy. "Either get in the shower or I'm throwing you in the tub and not letting you out till you're hosed down and smelling like peaches." The threat was cold and left no real negotiation on Law's part.

"I don't have any other clothes." Law mumbled, as if that would keep him from having to shower and see the giant pink leader.

"I'll have Baby Five grab you some. Now get in." She shoved Law towards one of the shower heads and peered down at him much like his mother did whenever Law or Lammi had been bad. It was unnerving how much Monet's face reminded Law of his mother in that moment.

"I can't shower with you in here." Law suddenly felt sheepish. Bathing wasn't a big deal with the other kids. Baby was used to Buffalo already so she didn't make a big deal out of it. However, Monet didn't join any of them when they went. Law suddenly cared if she saw him. Somehow she wasn't just another one of the kid group. She was older.

"You don't have anything that I haven't seen before." She stated matter-of-fact.

"That's not the point!" Law shouted as he climbed to his feet and awkwardly made his way to the benches. "I'm not getting undressed with you there."

Monet signed in resignation and walked towards the doorway. "I'll track down some clothes for you. I swear that you'll be in your grave if you so much as step out of this room before showering." She waved and set off.

Law frowned and huffed out his frustration before pulling off his shirt. Monet was the annoying one.

"Don't forget to use soap! You reek!" She said popping her head in as an after thought. Law yelled and grasped at his shirt trying to hide his exposed chest. Monet rolled her eyes and left once again. This time Law waited a lot longer to make sure there were no more surprises while he got undressed.

The child stepped under a shower head and turned it to just the right temperature. It was warm but not too hot. After just standing there for what felt like hours he finally found the strength to grab the soap and start washing himself. He really did need this. He just had no motivation to get out of bed and do things.

"Got your clothes. You done yet?" Monet's voice sounded through the bathroom door as she knocked on it.

"I'm not done yet!" Law shouted as the door started to open. "Don't come in!" He yelled when the door kept opening. Law's hands flew down to try and hide as much of his body as he could.

The green haired girl walked in with clothes in one hand and covered her eyes with the other. "Don't worry I'm not looking. I'm not leaving cause I don't trust you to hurry though. Doflamingo is waiting and he's not exactly the patient type." She slowly felt her way to one of the benches closest to the door and sat down, back to Law. She placed the clean clothes next to her. "Did you use any soap yet? It doesn't smell like it."

"I'm doing that right now!" Law huffed out as he squeezed a large puddle into his hand and started to wash himself. He kept his back towards Monet only to look over his shoulder every minute or so to make sure she didn't look.

"You better be." Monet retorted. "What's going on with you? You were far less annoying before your mission."

"I told you it's not your business."

"You know, you're the most tolerable kid here. At least you were. If you need to talk I'll listen. It's not by birth but we're still a family." Monet's voice dropped a bit as she talked. It was much more soothing and gentle than before. "Some things are harder to carry around if you keep it all pent up."

Law stood in the shower for a few seconds before finally answering her in earnest. "Corazon killed someone."

"That's it?" Monet turned around with confusion written all over her face.

"Don't look!" Law yelled, making her snap her head forward again. "And what do you mean, that's it? I saw him use a gun and kill someone who was pleading for her life. I was there. I-I didn't stop it." Law's voice shook as he felt tears fall down his face again. He thought he was finally numb to the pain but he was wrong.

"You're too soft." Monet said. "Did you already forget this is a gang? Killing people is in the name. It's shitty that you had to watch it, but it happens here."

"Well it's still wrong!" Law shouted again.

"Wrong and right are privileges we don't get. You think it's right for a person to starve to death just because they're too young to work? Or how about all the kidnapping victims? Do you think every one in the world get's what's right for them? No. They don't." Monet heatedly shouted out in response. "Some times doing what's wrong is all you've got just to get to your next meal. If that's all it takes to survive here under the young master than you should be grateful."

There was a long silence as the hot water ran over a startled Law. He stood in shock and anger as he listened to Monet lecture him through clenched teeth. "It's not..." he sighed out, "...like you would know." He lowered his head in the stream and let heavy tears wash over his face. The price of his life wasn't so easily weighted against that of another's.

Finally he sniffed back his tears and turned the water off. His face was sore and warm from crying and his head felt dizzy. Law pushed through knowing that he wouldn't be able to buy any more time away from the meeting. It was quick work drying off and putting on the semi-formal attire that Monet picked out of Law's tiny wardrobe. The two of them had navigated through the halls of the large building and found themselves in front of the giant black lacquered doors. Monet's knuckles rapped against the door three times to announce their presence. After a minute of waiting the doors finally opened up and Corazon ushered the pair into the flamboyantly decorated room.

Doflamingo sat on top of his large pink chair in the middle of the room, high above all other seats. He smiled his horrific smile that hid all kinds of manipulations and ill intentions behind it. "And here I thought you had finally gotten the balls to run away." Doffy laughed. He waved a hand beckoning them to enter further. Monet carried herself confidently across the room and sat upon one of the ornamental couches directly in front of the gang leader. Law hesitantly followed behind a retreating Corazon and sat on the chair furthest away from everyone in the room. He was uneasy but at least he could but a bit of extra space between himself and everyone else.

"What was it you needed to discuss with us?" Monet asked to get the conversation going.

"First off I wanted to talk to Law." Doflamingo crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat. "Trebol has taken a liking to you and is in the process of setting up your work area. We're renovating the basement for this so it maybe a while longer before you can work on the late doctor's research for us. We need to know what all you'll need. I've already ordered an abundance of basic lab equipment, gloves, beakers, scales, and the such. If there's anything special you'll need write it down. Also we need a list of all the ingredients you need. Make sure you put down everything that your father was experimenting with. We don't want to miss any key ingredients, now do we?"

Law sat with his hands balled up against his knees with his head facing down. He nodded as he took in the request and slowly started to go over it all mentally. He'd have to write everything down since it was a very long list.

"Also, you'll be working with Corazon until the lab is up. Every mission he goes on you will also attend. I'm sure you know what that means after the last one you went on."

"But-" Law snapped his head up and tried to argue. Doflamingo quickly interrupted him and kept going.

"This is not optional. You'll have to learn how our gang works and fast. I have little patience for teaching children." Monet bit her bottom lip as she listened in on the arrangements. She still held fast in her belief that Law would have to deal with it, but it still rubbed her the wrong way.

"As for you Monet, your request to join the gang as a full member has been denied. The seats are not currently looking for anyone to work under them and Vergo has decided that you need to study more before he can take you in. I'll still have you come to the meetings as you have been lately, but don't expect any missions or assignments to follow."

The girl's entire face dropped as she listened. Her normally calm smirk turned into a full frown. "Young master, I've done everything you've asked of me and more. I've helped around here and out on the streets as much as I could. Why can't you let me move up?"

"I've already told you. You're too inexperienced for Vergo and no one else needs the extra help." Doffy put both his feet down on the floor as he continued. "Vergo will be in touch with you when he finds the time and will review what you'll need to learn. Follow his instructions to the letter and you may join by next year."

"But young mas-"

"That is final. If you keep pushing this I'll send you back to work on the streets like before." Monet clenched up at this and dropped her head low. She bit on her lip before shakily nodding.

"Law, you'll be joining Cora tomorrow for another mission. Make sure you're prepared tonight. You two are dismissed."

Monet stood up from the couch she was on and gave a slight bow before turning her back to rush out the door. Law sat with a mixture of surprise and worry on his face before he followed her out. The teen girl stood silhouetted against the large window just outside the doors. Outside the lights of the sleepless city pulsed and sparkled against the concrete jungle that surrounded them. Soft white clouds of smoke from the nearby factory rose up behind her glittering with refracted city lights and creating a hazy sheen around Monet's tall figure. She stood holding herself looking down at the floor.

"Why are you so special?" The words tumbled out of her lips like rocks. "What does the young master see in you that he doesn't see in me?" She turned her gaze up from the tiled floor below them and locked eyes with the softly shimmering gold ones that stared back in confusion at her.

"What are you-"

"I've devoted my entire life to him for the last few years so I could be helpful! Why is it that he keeps passing me up but a brand new brat like you get's to be his favorite? You've already be assigned to work with one of the top executives. Under Corazon no less! It's not fair. Why can't I be helpful too?"

"Not fair!? It's not fair that I'm here!" Law shouted back with anger boiling up inside his small figure.

"Yeah, no shit."

"I hate this place! I hate having to watch people die! And I HATE DOFLAMINGO!" Law screamed out as tears pricked his eyes. Finally he was saying what has been on his mind for the last few months. He didn't even care if Doffy could hear him through the thick wooden doors behind them.

The thud of skin hitting skin rang out through the halls as Monet racked her hand across the young child's face. She held her hand up as she pulled back unsure if she was going to strike again. "You're just an ingrate." Monet said, voice as icy as the snow itself. Her long lean legs pushed towards Law another step.

Trafalgar held his cheek in disbelief looking up at her. Tears flowed down his burning face. He took a step away from her as she advanced towards him. Fear hitched in his throat as he whimpered at the possibility of being struck again.

Monet paused for a second, her hand balling up into a fist before falling down by her side. She briskly pushed past the boy and rushed down the hall. No more words exchanged. Law watched her leave and stood bewildered by what had just happened. He couldn't believe that she could sit through a meeting and hear that he and Corazon were going to have to kill again only to get mad that she wasn't part of it.

Law bit his bottom lip in a worthless attempt to quell his crying. Everything was backwards here and he hated it.

Back in his room he watched the lights in the night cityscape shine gently around him. The night air blowing through his open window brought a quiet serenity that he hadn't felt in months. The whole world was turning just how it should. How it has always. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, a cold chill of freedom in the air outside. His face and eyes stung from tears dried upon the skin. He looked down under long lashes at the sidewalks far below. In the cover of night he could do it. He could free himself from this bird cage and fly away.

Law stood on his bed then took a careful step onto the bedside table that sat precariously placed in front of his now screen-less window. Small black sneakers tapped against the wooden frame of the window as he eased himself out into the night air. He stilled himself as he looked down below once again, finding conviction in the sparkling night. A small hand ran down the rough grain window pane as he took one last look back into the room he was leaving behind. Cold. Empty. Lonely. Just like the last few months had been.

Trafalgar was done living like this. He couldn't stand the man who held him hostage. He couldn't put up with everyone around him trying to bend him to their own will or agenda. Worst of all every time he feels safe enough to open up to someone, they betray his trust. Nothing could keep him here.

He swallowed one last deep gulp of fresh air then left the window far behind him.

The soft sheets around his hands and waist caught him after just a foot or two of falling into the dark night. A loud groan sounded from his bed frame that strained to keep him tied down. His heart caught in his throat as he hung for what had to be an eternity. His ears popped and focused hard as he could listening for the sound of someone rushing to see what the noise was. Minutes went by but no one burst through his bedroom door. Maybe no one had heard, maybe no one was awake, either way luck was on his side tonight.

His hands fed one end of the blanket through his make shift harness as he inched his way down the would-be rope. The wind blew at his back, pinning him pretty hard against the side of the building. Another lucky break since he wasn't being blown wild like a leaf off a tree. His sneakers tapped against the old concrete blocks that held the building up. Much to his surprise, climbing down the side of a building was harder, scarier, and took much longer than any movie or tv show made it seem.

After a good fifteen or so minutes he had come to where two sheets were twisted together. The knot proved to be too large to navigate through his harness easily and Law was forced to hold on with one hand while his other tried to push it through the loops little by little. Sweat beaded up against his forehead in the otherwise chilly night air. Fingers fumbled with the fabric just inches away from solving the issue. The knot was pushing through the last hook and gravity was on his side, forcing him down against it to continue his crusade. There was a very subtle pop as the tied sheets passed through the loop and Law was left to descend once again. His hands inched lower as he put his whole body weight onto the second sheet, tiny feet tapping at the side of the building once again.

Then there was an unholy ripping noise. Fabric screeched against fabric and the knot failed to hold up. Law snapped his head upwards as he watched hopelessly as the sheets untangled. He felt the effect of gravity immediately and reached out grasping at the air itself trying to save himself from falling down.

Stealth may have been his mission, but he was far from a sound mind when he let a quick scream slip from his parted lips. His eyes widened in surprise and fear as he watched his window climb up away from him at a rapid speed.

Law's back collided with cold hard metal not six feet from where he fell. The fire escape clattered under his sudden drop and creaked loudly in the night air. Law gasped out in pain as tears welled up in his eyes. He knew that fire escape was there and he had been climbing down to it, but in that second he had been truly scared for his life.

Trafalgar's small mouth hung open as he fought to breath. The pain and fear stole the very air out of his lungs and he couldn't get it back. His sight burned black as everything around him became unfocused. Small feet beat against the metal below him to roll over. His knees scrapped at the escape as he lifted himself up onto his hands and knees. Finally he could gulp down breath after breath of sweet night air.

The burning and stinging in his lungs didn't yet have a chance to subside before he was surprised by a bright light flicking on in the window that over looked the escape. Law's head whipped up to study the curtains on the other side of the glass. He could barely hear someone on the other side approaching the window. A hand swept aside the light curtains as the figure moved to look out the window.

"I thought I heard something." Vergo said.


	9. Promise the Impossible

Law pressed his whole body as low as he could up against the bricks directly under the window with Vergo's silhouette. The menacing man pulled back the thin fabric curtains and started to inspect the sky line. Suspicious eyes slowly swept across the serene landscape. A lock clicked loose as his hands lifted the heavy window pane. Shivering grey eyes were plastered upwards towards the man's face as he slowly stuck his head out the window. Tiny hands were welded to his face keeping all his fear and pain inside daring not to even breath despite how much his lungs still stung after getting the wind knocked out of them.

A loud rapping on wood sounded inside the room. Vergo halted his search and turned back behind him. Law could barely see a dissatisfied frown on the man's nearly unreadable face. "Oh, it's you." The man walked away from the window and far away from the cowering child. Law's ears strained to over hear what little of the conversation he could . Cold wind licked at his tear stained face.

"This late? Since when does Doflamingo attend to matters at such an hour?" The man soon grunted and shuffled away from the room best as Law could tell. He stayed laying down against the cold metal. His breaths slowly steadily out. He tried desperately to tell if anyone was left in the room or to tell if Vergo really had walked away. It felt like hours had passed before he finally talked himself into sneaking back into the building.

Law had bounced between continuing to climb down or go inside and sneak his way back to his room. His fear of getting caught down below out weighed his fear of vergo finding him wandering aimlessly inside the building. If he was luckly, he could come up with a convincing lie. Something about not being able to sleep and going for a walk.

The boy stuck his head slowly up in the window looking for any one hiding in the room. Nothing. Law swallowed a lump in his throat that persisted. He angled his body inside the wide open window and quickly shuffled through the rather dull room. Somehow it looked like his. Same bland dresser, same singular coloured bed set, even the same layout. Trafalgar couldn't spend more time taking in the room than he already had. He carefully walked out the door and started to navigate, his speed increasing with each turn he took.

Law rounded a familiar corner and saw some stairs that he knew well. He was in the home stretch. Trafalgar could make it back from here. He stepped forward eager to put this whole situation behind him.

Suddenly there was an arm around his waist. He opened his mouth to yelp but felt something get painfully shoved in there. His eyes were covered and he felt himself be thrown about like a doll into the toy bin. His head connected with a wall as he was tossed aside. A loud clattering came from where he just was. Something fell and a loud thud made vibrations dance along the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Vergo's voice barked. Another thud came again. This time lower and more strained. Law scrambled to his knees and his eyes darted around, looking for the angry man. "Did you get lost again or do you just like clumsily clattering about in the middle of the night?" Law felt his jaw drop then he grasped at any sounds he could make. The fabric in his mouth left it dry and no words could come out in response.

"Don't say sorry to me. I don't have time for this. Doflamingo has me going on a new mission. I need to pack and be out a soon as possible." There was angry storming coming from the hallway outside the door Law was tossed behind. "In case you forgot again, your room is five more floors up from here. Just take the damn stairs and leave us be. None of us like having to baby sit you, despite you being the boss's brother."

The kid's whole head turned to look back at the door. His eyes had slowly adjusted to the dim light of the empty kitchenette. No one was in there beside him. Vergo wasn't talking to him. So who was...

The door opened and the giant blonde man stumbled into the room. Corazon stumbled into the room holding his side and wincing a bit. He lifted a finger up to his pursed lips and made a shushing motion. He pressed his ear and his luck against the door behind him. Vergo was gone once again no more shouting and no more accusations.

Law snatched the damp fabric out of his mouth. "Was that-?" Corazon made the shushing motion again as he lurched towards the tiny kid. Law caught himself and quickly hushed his question. In a soft whisper he continued, "was that you who grabbed me?"

The tall man nodded before holding up a single finger as if to say "one minute". He kept his ear pressed against the wooden door behind him before straightening up and snatching Law by the wrist. He tossed the door open and started to rush up the stairs with the kid in tow, barely able to keep up enough to stay on his feet. Trafalgar felt a new pattern emerging with him being pulled along by others.

Both boys ended up in Law's room quicker than he ever imagined was possible to navigate the building. He had gotten lost once but Law was forced to wounder if Corazon had really gotten lost while running or if there was a secret short cut Law didn't know about. He mentally added that to the list of things he wanted to ask someone trust worthy.

The man of heart leaned back against Law's closed door and ran a hand through his sweaty gold locks. Fear and worry wrinkled the young man's face and cracked the heavy makeup painted on his broken, pale skin. He wandered over to the window that was still wide open with a sheet still hanging out of it. The man shook his head more to himself than to the younger boy before pulling the sheet back in. As he tossed the torn sheet onto Law's disheveled bed he gave the boy a look that screamed "REALLY?".

He stood up to his full height and took in a deep breath, seeming to steady himself while looking off into an unknown distance. Than Corazon turned his attention back to Law and gave the boy a quick smack to the head. He gestured angrily at the open window and to Law. The boy had been scolded enough times to know that this was just another one.

His hands comforted the lump on his head as he looked down with fear and hate in his eyes. Stupid murderer. Stupid gang. Stupid everything. When he finally looked up again Corazon was sitting on the misplaced bedside table leaning against the window pane. A breath of smoke wafted out the window and was swept away to a world unknown by the chilly night air. The very same air that had chilled Law earlier.

"Why did you hide me from Vergo?" Law finally asked as he adjusted how he sat on the bed. He tossed a pillow to the side and kicked off his shoes. "You get more brownie points for bringing me to Doflamingo yourself?"

Corazon rolled his eyes and shot a rather disgusted and angry look at Law as he shoved a long hand in his worn, blue jeans. After a second of fumbling around he got up and started rattling through the dresser drawers. Corazon tossed clothes and towels about as he searched the small room for something. Finally he came upon a fairly worn notebook and pencil on the floor near the closet. He picked them up and flipped to an empty page before scribbling his answer.

Law hesitantly took the notebook from the man once he was done and looked down to read it. "Huh, you don't like your own brother?" He mused out loud as he read through the paragraph. "Why kill for him if you don't like him?" Anger knitted his brows together, but more than that he felt pure curiosity. He just couldn't imagine going to such lengths for such a man.

The giant wrote once again in the notebook and then before handing it over scribbled a bit more. "You're trapped here... like me?" Law read over his shoulder. The messy writing broke through the boy's heart as he continued to read. "But you're free how can you be stuck here. He even lets you leave all you want." A shaky hand wrote the next two words with a pained frown. False Freedom.

"I know his dark secrets." Law read slowly over Corazon's shoulder. "He's done a lot of things he doesn't want anyone to know, not even the gang. He keeps me around to make sure I don't do anything stupid."

"Huh, that's ironic. He's worried about a mute talking." Corazon. Smirked and playfully shoved his elbow back into Law before he kept writing.

"It's either this or I'm dead. Guess which one I choose." Law read and reread. "So, you really are like me. How come you get a special seat and considered so important if he just wants to lock you up?"

"In a twisted way..." Corazon wrote "...family is still everything to him. Despite everything he's done or stands for. I'm the only one left and for some reason he's hanging on to that."

"Is that why he refers to the gang as his family?" Law mused out loud. Corazon nodded his head as he continued.

"He gives me fancy titles and raises me up because I'm his real blood brother. Whether he meant to or not it's made other members watch me closely when he's not around. I've earned their ire because of it."

"Hey Cora, what's ire mean?" Law paused and asked in confusion.

"Anger." Corazon wrote in the margin.

"Oh. Monet is like that towards me right now. She doesn't seem to like how your brother treats me." Law pulled his legs into his chest where he sat on the bed. "It's not even my fault." He pouted. A long silence followed as Law soaked it all in. Finally he asked the biggest question on his mind. "Why make us kill?"

"Control." Corazon wrote. "He needs people dead for his gang to continue. He needs to make sure I know where I stand here. He makes me do the dirty work as a way to keeping me on a short leash."

"Why me though?" Tears ran down Trafalgar's face. "I'm already locked up. What more does he need from me?"

The older man sat back and scratched at his head for a minute. He took a long drag off his dying cigarette. With a heavy breath the smoke poured out and clouded the room for only a second at most. "That's my fault." He wrote. "I begged him to let you live. He didn't trust in your knowledge and I'm putting my neck out for you. It's a steep deal. You're my responsibility and he wants you to know what kind of life you can live under him if he keeps you like he keeps me."

"Control." Law mirrored the statement from earlier. "He just wants to completely control me as well. Every part of my life belongs to him now, huh. Even my choices are being made for me." Corazon nodded, gritted teeth biting back a choking sob.

"I'm sorry." He wrote as a small tear fell to the page. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Law sniffled as he cried. "At least... I'm alive." He muttered in pain. The full weight of his situation sank in more than ever before. Every since moment had been robbed from him the second he was brought in. Every action, every though, every moral decision. He had truly lost everything. He looked out the still wide open window and realized how futile his escape attempt really was. How large the gang was and how even if he escaped he would probably be sent to jail for the murder. This was his only means of survival now. Doing everything that was asked of him, no matter what.

"I promise to protect you." The notebook page read. "You can hide while I do everything. You can close your eyes and pretend it's not happening. I promise you. I'll make it right somehow." Corazon wrote as he sobbed heavily. The pencil graphite was smudging through his tears.

"Maybe I can save you." Law whispered to the air in the room. He didn't know how, but he felt like it was the only thing he could hold on to now. Freedom with someone else who was like him. Law jumped off the bed and held Corazon's trembling hands in his smaller ones. He stared with committed dedication into the other's eyes. "We'll get out, together. That's my promise to you."


End file.
